Portend \Por*tend"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Portended; p. pr. & vb. n. Portending.]

[L. portendre, portentum, to foretell, to predict, to impend, from an old preposition used in comp. + tendere to stretch. See Position, Tend.]

1. To indicate (events, misfortunes, etc.) as in future; to foreshow; to foretoken; to bode; -- now used esp. of unpropitious signs. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

Many signs portended a dark and stormy day. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

2. To stretch out before. [R.]

"Doomed to feel the great Idomeneus' portended steel." --Pope. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To foreshow; foretoken; betoken; forebode; augur; presage; foreshadow; threaten. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

34 Moby Thesaurus words for "portend": adumbrate, apprehend, augur, betoken, bode, call, croak, forebode, forecast, foreshadow, foreshow, foretoken, forewarn, give advance notice, have a premonition, have a presentiment, look black, lower, menace, omen, preapprehend, precaution, predict, premonish, prenotify, presage, prewarn, prognosticate, promise, prophesy, tell in advance, threaten, vaticinate, warn

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

portend v : indicate by signs; "These signs bode bad news" [syn: bode, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict]

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Portend \Por*tend"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Portended; p. pr. & vb. n. Portending.]

[L. portendre, portentum, to foretell, to predict, to impend, from an old preposition used in comp. + tendere to stretch. See Position, Tend.]

1. To indicate (events, misfortunes, etc.) as in future; to foreshow; to foretoken; to bode; -- now used esp. of unpropitious signs. --Bacon.

Many signs portended a dark and stormy day. --Macaulay.

2. To stretch out before. [R.]

``Doomed to feel the great Idomeneus' portended steel.'' --Pope.

Syn: To foreshow; foretoken; betoken; forebode; augur; presage; foreshadow; threaten.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)