Etymologically
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prediction

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /prɪˈdɪk.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is from French prédiction and directly borrowed from Latin praedictiō (“a foretelling”),[2][3][4] from praedīcere, to make known beforehand (see predict),[2][4] from prae-, before, and dīcere, to say.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of foretelling future events: 1561 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1560s in Etymonline.[5][3][2]

Semantic evolution

A portent or omen is an obsolete sense of 1601.[5] The Century Dictionary (1895) noted that prediction may or may not be inspired, and is most often used of foretelling events from scientific knowledge or experience.[2] Compounds such as prediction value are from 1952.[5]

Timeline

  • 1561 – foretelling.[5][3]
  • 1601 – an omen (obsolete).[5]
  • 1952 – prediction value.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of predicting.
  2. Something predicted; a forecast or prophecy.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press