omen
pronunciation
How to pronounce omen in British English:
UK [ˈəʊmən]
How to pronounce omen in American English:
US [ˈoʊmən]
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- Noun:
- a sign of something about to happen
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- Verb:
- indicate by signs
Word Origin
- omen
- omen: [16] Omen was a direct borrowing from Latin ōmen, whose derivative ōminōsus also gave English ominous [16]. From the same source comes abominable.=> abominable, ominous
- omen (n.)
- 1580s, from Latin omen "foreboding," from Old Latin osmen, of unknown origin; perhaps connected with the root of audire "to hear" [OED] or from PIE *o- "to believe, hold as true" (cognates: Greek oiomai "I suppose, think, believe").
Synonym
Example
- 1. But at least one omen is encouraging .
- 2. But no one seemed to regard the storm as an omen of bad luck for the coming years .
- 3. Gold 's fall could be an omen in another way , too .
- 4. It seemed like an omen .
- 5. Some people had taken rising bond spreads as an omen of default and euro break-up .