Harbinger
/ˈhɑːr.bɪn.dʒər/noun
A person or thing that signals what is to come.
Did you know?Harbinger comes from an old office of advance scout and lodging-arranger, from Middle English herbergere, linked to the same Germanic root behind modern words for army and harbor.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*harjaz
“army, host”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bergō
“to protect, shelter”
Old French
OF
herbergier
“to lodge, provide shelter”
Middle English
ME
herbergere
“one who provides lodging; an innkeeper or quartermaster”
14th–15th Century
English
harbinger
“an advance messenger who goes ahead to arrange lodging or provisions”
Modern English
English
harbinger
“a person or thing that foreshadows what is to come”