prognostication

English

Etymology

From Old French pronosticacion, from Medieval Latin prognosticatio.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

prognostication (countable and uncountable, plural prognostications)

  1. A statement about or prior knowledge of the future.
    • 1837, The Dublin University Magazine:
      She could have joined most comfortably in all their supposings, and suspicions, and doubts, and prognostications, but the honour of the family was too nearly concerned to allow free reins to her tongue.
    • 2025 February 2, Andrew Torgan and Kimberly Richardson, “Start your week smart: Trump tariffs, DC air collision, hostages released, medevac jet crash, FAA system outage”, in CNN‎[1], Atlanta, Ga.: Warner Bros. Discovery, archived from the original on 18 October 2026:
      Today is that most sacred of American holidays. A day when people from all walks of life set aside their differences and focus their undivided attention on the prognostication abilities of a subterranean rodent.
  2. (dated) An omen.
    • 1694, François-Antoine Pomey, translated by Andrew Tooke, The Pantheon:
      But if there appears only one single flame, they call it Helena, and look upon it as a prognostication of certain ruin to those that are out at Sea.
    • 1892, Andrew Davidson, Geographical Pathology, page 376:
      The fever death-rate in May and June was abnormally high, a sure prognostication of the coming storm.

Derived terms

Translations

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