It may seem like a stretch to say that portend, beloved verb of seers, soothsayers, and meteorologists alike, is related to tendon—the word we use to refer to the dense white fibrous tissue that helps us, well, stretch—but it’s likely true. Portend comes from the Latin verb portendere (“to predict or foretell”), which in turn developed as a combination of the prefix por- (“forward”) and the verb tendere (“to stretch”). Tendere is thought to have led to tendon, among other words. So you might imagine portend as having a literal meaning of “stretching forward to predict.” In any event, the history of the word surely showcases the flexibility of our language.
Examples of portend in a Sentence
The distant thunder portended a storm.
If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.
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This indifference to basic democracy does not portend well for what freedom would look like in a free Palestine.—Jay Tcath, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025 Among the group is a pair of Black twins, whose professor mentions Mengele’s fixation with identical siblings, which both portends fleeting dramatic moments in the rest of the film, and also steeps this post-mortem study in dramatic irony.—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025 Trump’s budget blueprint released earlier this month could portend further cuts.—David Ingram, NBC news, 11 May 2025 That portended bigger things in 2025 for Wood and his team.—John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for portend
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin portendere, from por- forward (akin to per through) + tendere to stretch — more at for, thin
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