Word of the Day: Prescient
[PRESH-ənt]
Part of speech: Adjective
Origin: Latin, early 17th century
Definition: Having or showing knowledge of events before they take place
Examples of Prescient in a sentence
“The psychic gave a prescient warning of things to come.”
“No one understood how prescient the press statement was until a few days later.”
About Prescient
This word comes from the Latin “praescient-,” meaning “knowing beforehand.” This stems from the verb “praescire” — “prae” meaning “before” and “scire” meaning “know.”
Did you Know?
Jeane Dixon, a self-proclaimed psychic, was admired by many for her supposed prescience. She reportedly predicted John F. Kennedy’s assassination, that one pope would be harmed, and another would be assassinated during the twentieth century, among other predictions. Richard Nixon followed her predictions via his secretary, and Dixon was one of several astrologers Nancy Reagan consulted. However, Temple University mathematician John Allen Paulos coined “the Jeane Dixon effect,” which outlines a penchant for highlighting a few correct predictions while ignoring a larger amount of incorrect ones.
