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prem·o·ni·tion

(prĕm′ə-nĭshən, prē′mə-)

1. A presentiment of the future; a foreboding: I had a premonition that our risky endeavor would end badly.

2. A warning in advance; a forewarning: That skirmish was a premonition of battles to come.

[Late Latin praemonitiō, praemonitiōn-, from Latin praemonitus, past participle of praemonēre, to forewarn : prae-, pre- + monēre, to warn; see men-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

pre·mon′i·tori·ly (-mŏn′ĭ-tôrə-lē) adv.

pre·moni·to′ry adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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