Foresight
/ˈfɔːr.saɪt/noun
The ability to anticipate and plan for the future.
Did you know?Foresight is a transparent Old English compound, and English has long treated vision as knowledge: to “see” the future was once a literal way to describe insight, not just a metaphor.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
foreseon
“to see beforehand; anticipate”
Old English
OE
fore
“before, in front of”
Old English
OE
sīehþ / sīht
“sight, seeing”
Middle English
ME
foresight
“the act or power of seeing or knowing in advance”
Modern English
English
foresight
“the ability to anticipate future needs or consequences”