Word of the Day

: April 6, 2008

presentiment

noun prih-ZENT-uh-munt

What It Means

: a feeling that something will or is about to happen : premonition

presentiment in Context

Beth had a presentiment that something out of the ordinary was going to happen, and, sure enough, she soon got a phone call from her estranged brother.

Did You Know?

"'Do you ever have presentiments, Mr. Flintwich?' 'I am not sure that I know what you mean by the term, sir,' replied that gentleman. 'Say, in this case, Mr. Flintwich, undefined anticipations of pleasure to come.' 'I can't say I'm sensible of such a sensation at present,' returned Mr. Flintwich, with the utmost gravity." Nothing sensational said here, perhaps, but Mr. Flintwich shows a sensitivity to words that, like "presentiment," are related to the Latin verb "sentire," ("to feel"). He uses two of these words, and we've added three more. The quote is from Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, and the words are "sensible," "sensation," "sensational," "sensitivity," and "sense."