Prescient
/ˈprɛs.i.ənt/noun
Having or showing knowledge of events before they happen.
Did you know?Prescient comes from Latin *praescientem*, “foreknowing,” built from *prae-* (“before”) + *scire* (“to know”), the same root behind *science*—so its hidden power is not magic, but knowledge before the moment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱey-
“to know”
Latin
Latin
scīre
“to know, to be aware of”
Latin
Latin
praescīre
“to know beforehand, foreknow”
Latin
Latin
praescient-
“foreknowing”
Late Middle English
English
prescient
“foreknowing, having foreknowledge”
Modern English
English
prescient
“having or showing knowledge of events before they happen”
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