omen

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈoʊmən/ UK /ˈəʊmən/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
a sign or event regarded as foretelling good or bad fortune

The sailors took the calm sea as a good omen for the voyage ahead.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sign or event regarded as... portent sign augury presageforetokenharbinger auspice

Word family

Derived forms omenedominous

Related forms ominous abominate abominable

Etymology

From Latin 'omen' ('a foreboding sign, prognostic'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from an earlier *osmen related to the notion of utterance or hearing.

omen Latin

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Topics

Actions & Processes

# omen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈoʊmən
**IPA (UK):** ˈəʊmən

## Meanings
1. a sign or event regarded as foretelling good or bad fortune

## Examples
- The sailors took the calm sea as a good omen for the voyage ahead.

## Synonyms
- portent
- sign
- augury
- presage
- foretoken
- harbinger
- auspice

## Derived Forms
- omened
- ominous

## Related Forms
- ominous
- abominate
- abominable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: omen

## Etymology
From Latin 'omen' ('a foreboding sign, prognostic'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from an earlier *osmen related to the notion of utterance or hearing.

## AI Etymology
Omen is from Latin 'omen' ('a foreboding sign, prognostic'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from an earlier *osmen related to the notion of utterance or hearing. Important recorded forms include omen (Latin). Its earlier history remains partly uncertain, so the etymological chain is best treated cautiously. In current use it covers a sign or event regarded as foretelling good or bad fortune. The wider family includes derived forms such as omened and ominous and related words such as ominous, abominate, and abominable.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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omen

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