forespell

English

Etymology

From fore- +‎ spell. Compare Dutch voorspellen (“to predict”).

Verb

forespell (third-person singular simple present forespells, present participle forespelling, simple past and past participle forespelled or forespelt)

1. (transitive) To spell in advance; foretell; make a warning about something upcoming; tell or indicate beforehand; predict
   • 2004, Ian D. Mackay, John's Relationship with Mark:

     The single boat, locus of misunderstanding about the loaves by a single group, is developed in two directions: Jesus' boat forespells the ability to understand the feeding sign, while the Tiberias boats forespell the opposite.

   • 2010, Katie MacAlister, A Girl's Guide to Vampires - Page 19:

     The wind seemed to forespell my doom as it gusted into the room, blowing out half the candles in the circle, and sending the spray of rose petals around us dancing into the far corners of the room.

   • 2012, R.P. Buckley, Husserl, Heidegger and the Crisis of Philosophical Responsibility - Page 4:

     [...] in the idea and the practical ideal of Europe, that of a harmonious unity of the life of nations with its sources in the rational spirit, has been undermined," did Husserl not forespell what was to befall Europe from 1939-1945 and afterwards?

   • 2013, H.W. de Jong, Progress in Intercalation Research - Page 254:

     We cannot easily forespell the precise cost effects of this delay of substitution possibilities. It depends not only on the estimated consumption volumes of new drugs and the price differentials between branded original drugs and generic drugs, [...]

Synonyms

• presage