Words / C1

PRES-ij/ˈpresɪdʒ/

To presage (also a noun) is to be a sign that something, often bad, will happen: an empty cell presages a fail, a presage of trouble. Predict (already in the dictionary) is everyday; a caption will not save a methods hole.

Meaning

To be a sign that something, often bad, will happen (also noun; from predict, already in the dictionary).

Examples

• “An empty cell presages a methods fail; a caption will not save it.”
• “Predict is already in this course. Foretell is the close twin. A caption is comms. A codebook line is methods. Write the raw number; then keep the caption if the finding still stands.”

Good to know

Foretell; be an omen of. Everyday: predict (already in the dictionary). A caption ≠ a saved n.

Near in meaning

foretell, portend, predict

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