Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To reveal by divine inspiration.
  • intransitive verb To predict the future with certainty. synonym: foretell.
  • intransitive verb To prefigure or foreshadow.
  • intransitive verb To reveal the will or message of God; speak or write as a prophet.
  • intransitive verb To predict future events; make predictions.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To predict; foretell; foreshow. See prophet.
  • To speak by divine inspiration; utter or tell as prophet.
  • To utter predictions; foretell future events.
  • To interpret or explain Scripture or religious subjects; preach; exhort.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To foretell; to predict; to prognosticate.
  • transitive verb To foreshow; to herald; to prefigure.
  • intransitive verb To utter predictions; to make declaration of events to come.
  • intransitive verb To give instruction in religious matters; to interpret or explain Scripture or religious subjects; to preach; to exhort; to expound.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration
  • verb deliver a sermon

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English prophecien, from Old French prophecier, from prophecie, prophecy; see prophecy.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Partly from prophecy, and partly from Middle French prophecier, prophesier, from prophecie ("prophecy").

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