harbinger

Originally, a person that is sent in advance to arrange lodgings. From Middle English herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor (French hébergeur), from Frankish *heriberga (“lodging, inn”, literally “army shelter”), from Proto-Germanic *harjaz (“army”) + *bergô (“protection”). Compare German Herberge, Italian albergo, Dutch herberg, English harbor. More at here, borrow.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/
• (US) enPR: härʹbĭnjər, IPA^(key): /ˈhɑɹbɪndʒəɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

harbinger (plural harbingers)

1. A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
   • Landor

     I knew by these harbingers who were coming.

2. (obsolete) One who provides lodgings; especially, the officer of the English royal household who formerly preceded the court when travelling, to provide and prepare lodgings.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Fuller to this entry?)

• forewarning, herald, omen, premonition, sign, signal, prophet

• Harbinger in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

harbinger (third-person singular simple present harbingers, present participle harbingering, simple past and past participle harbingered)

1. (transitive) To announce or precede; to be a harbinger of.

• herald

• bellwether

• harbinger in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.