English Explanatory Dictionary

premonition

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A clairvoyant or clairaudient experience, such as a dream, which resonates with some event in the future.
  2. A strong intuition that something is about to happen (usually something negative, but not exclusively).

Pronunciation

/ˌpriːməˈnɪʃən/ /ˌprɛ-/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-premonition.wav prĕm'ə- prē'mə-nĭshʹən

Word forms

premonition premonitions præmonition

Etymology

First use appears c. 1533. From Anglo-Norman premunition, from Ecclesiastical Latin praemonitiōnem (“a forewarning”), form of praemonitiō, from Latin praemonitus, past participle of praemoneō, from prae (“before”) (English pre-) + moneō (“to warn”) (from which English monitor). Compare Germanic forewarning.

Synonyms

vision bad feeling foreboding gut feeling hunch second sight

Related words

postmonition

Derived words

premonitional premonitionary premonitory
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