Did you know?
It may seem like a stretch to say that portend, beloved verb of seers, soothsayers, and meteorologists alike, is related to tendon—the word we use to refer to the dense white fibrous tissue that helps us, well, stretch—but it’s likely true. Portend comes from the Latin verb portendere (“to predict or foretell”), which in turn developed as a combination of the prefix por- (“forward”) and the verb tendere (“to stretch”). Tendere is thought to have led to tendon, among other words. So you might imagine portend as having a literal meaning of “stretching forward to predict.” In any event, the history of the word surely showcases the flexibility of our language.
Examples of portend in a Sentence
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 24 June 2025
Do these early-season fires portend a particularly destructive season to come?
—Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 18 June 2025
The ten-year moratorium on A.I. regulation portends a similar legacy.
—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025
While Israel carried out direct strikes on Iran in April and October of last year, Friday’s attack is significantly larger in scale and could portend a more intense level of conflict — and one with a nuclear dimension, as Israel struck Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for portend
Cite this Entry
“Portend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portend. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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portend
verb
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