portent
前兆
解説 Definition
将来起こる出来事、特に不吉なことを予示する兆候やしるしのこと。
A portent is a sign that something important is going to happen, often something bad or serious. The word is common in literary, historical, and dramatic contexts. It usually suggests a warning or a strong feeling about the future.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
まずはより基本語の sign や omen とセットで覚えると定着しやすいです。portent は「何かが起こりそうだ」というサインの中でも、特に重く、不吉さや歴史の転換を感じさせる硬い語。a portent of disaster / change, a dark portent の形で見ると意味が固定されます。日常の軽い「兆し」なら sign、文学的・報道的に“前触れ”を強く言いたいときが portent。report など見た目の近い語とは切り分けて、「未来を告げるしるし」と一塊で覚えるのがコツです。
Remember `portent` with simpler words like `sign` and `omen`, but make it feel heavier and darker. It often appears in phrases like `a portent of disaster` or `a dark portent`. That collocation helps you feel its serious, literary tone.
例文
The dark clouds gathering on the horizon were a portent of the approaching storm.
地平線に集まる暗い雲は、近づく嵐の前兆だった。
Many believed the comet was a portent of great change in the kingdom.
多くの人が、その彗星は王国における大きな変化の前兆だと信じた。
The sudden drop in stock prices was seen as a portent of economic recession.
株価の急落は、景気後退の前兆と見なされた。
portent の類義語・関連語
類義語
派生語
portent の語源・成り立ち Etymology
portent はラテン語 portentum「前兆」にさかのぼり、pro-/por-「前へ」+ tendere「伸ばす」が核です。未来へ印を差し出すイメージで「前兆」となり、同じ語根には extend や tension があります。
Portent comes from Latin portentum, meaning "omen" or "sign of the future." It is linked to por-/pro- "forward" and tendere "to stretch," giving the idea of something reaching ahead as a sign. Over time, it came to mean a sign that something important or unusual is about to happen. It is related to English words like tension and extend.
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