Word · Frequency #20706
portent
预兆；征兆；（尤指）凶兆
A sign or warning that something, especially something bad, is going to happen; an omen.
- 1.
Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.
预示即将发生的事件,尤指不幸或邪恶的事件；预兆
- 2.
a sign of something about to happen
某事即将发生的预兆
- 3.
A portending; significance
预示；意义
- 4.
Something regarded as portentous; a marvel; prodigy.
被视为不寻常的事物；奇迹；奇才
预示；预兆性；意味；奇事；奇人；奇迹；预示即将发生的事件,尤指不幸或邪恶的事件；预兆；某事即将发生的预兆；预示；意义
In use
The dark clouds gathering on the horizon were a portent of the approaching storm.
Many saw the sudden drop in stock prices as an ominous portent of economic recession.
In ancient Rome, the flight of birds was interpreted as a portent from the gods.
a portent of sth
The dark clouds were a portent of the coming storm.
乌云是即将来临的风暴的前兆。
a portent that clause
The sudden silence was a portent that something was wrong.
突然的寂静是出事的预兆。
portents of sth
Connections
Collocations
- a portent of war
- 战争的预兆
- The unusual bird was seen as a portent of war.那只怪鸟被视为战争的预兆。
- an ominous portent
- 不祥之兆
- The sky darkened, an ominous portent of the coming storm.天空暗了下来，这是暴风雨即将来临的不祥之兆。
- a portent of things to come
- 未来事情的预兆
- The company's falling sales were a portent of things to come.公司销售额下降是即将发生的事情的预兆。
- interpret something as a portent
- 把某事解释为预兆
- Many people interpreted the eclipse as a portent of disaster.许多人把这次日食解释为灾难的预兆。
- a portent for the future
- 对未来的预示
- The peace treaty was a hopeful portent for the future.这份和平条约是对未来充满希望的预示。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
把 portent 拆成 port(港口)+ent，想象港口出现异常天象，预示风暴将至——凶兆。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：literary writing、formal prose、news commentary portent 是较正式、带文学色彩的用词，通常出现在书面叙述或严肃语境中，日常口语较少用。它多指“预兆、凶兆”，语气比 omen 更郑重；若指奇事、奇人，则偏向古雅或修辞用法。
Grammar Note
可数名词，常与of连用
Pronunciation & Spelling
所列词与 portent 都以 -ent 或 -end 结尾，但没有真正的完全韵脚。portent /ˈpɔrtɛnt/ 的重音在第一个音节 /pɔr/；portend 和 pretend 结尾是 /-tɛnd/ 而非 /-tɛnt/；intent、tent 虽含 /-tɛnt/，但重音在词尾或单音节，与 portent 末位非重读音节不同；content、patent 在某些读音中末音节发 /-ənt/，读音差别较大。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.