/ ˈpɔːtent; NAmE ˈpɔːrt-/ noun
( literary ) a sign or warning of sth that is going to happen in the future, especially when it is sth unpleasant
SYN omen
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from Latin portentum omen, token, from the verb portendere , based on pro- forth + tendere stretch.