Portend

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /pɔːˈtÉ›nd/
• Rhymes: -É›nd

Origin

From the Latin portendere ("to foretell"), from por- ("forward") + tendere ("to stretch"), present active infinitive of tendo.

Full definition of portend

Verb

1. (transitive) to serve as a warning or omen
• John Milton, Paradise LostA kingdom they portend thee, but what kingdom,
  Real or allegoric, I discern not; Nor when: eternal sure--as without end,
2. (transitive) to signify; to denoteLet it be known that the Rapture portends the End of Days.
• 2012, June 26, Genevieve Koski, Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe, When the staccato, Neptunes-ian single “Boyfriend” was released in March, musical prognosticators were quick to peg the album it portended, Believe, as Justin Bieber’s Justified, a grown-and-sexy, R&B-centric departure that evolved millennial teenybopper Justin Timberlake into one of the unifying pop-music figures of the aughts.

Synonyms

• foreshadow
• presage

Related terms

• portent
• portentous