herald

Signification

Noun

1. A messenger, especially one bringing important news.
2. A harbinger, giving signs of things to come.
3. An official whose speciality is heraldry, especially one between the ranks of pursuivant and king-of-arms
4. A moth of the species Scoliopteryx libatrix.
5. A handbill consisting of an advertisement.

Verb

1. To proclaim or announce an event.
2. To greet something with excitement; to hail.

Prononcé comme (IPA)

/ˈhɛɹəld/

Étymologie

From Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”) + *h₂welh₁- (“to be strong”). Compare Walter, which has these elements reversed.

Phrases

Experts of geology agree: Yesterday's tsunami was just a herald of the imminent apocalypse .

Les experts de la géologie sont d'accord: le tsunami d'hier n'était qu'un héraut de l'apocalypse imminente.