herald
nounverbnounattested in dialogue
- United States//ˈhɛɹəld//
- Australia//ˈheɹəld//
- Scotland//ˈhɛɾəld//
A messenger, especially one bringing important news.
noun
- 1
A messenger, especially one bringing important news.
The herald blew his trumpet and shouted that the King was dead.
- 2
A harbinger, giving signs of things to come.
Daffodils are heralds of Spring.
- 3
An official whose speciality is heraldry, especially one between the ranks of pursuivant and king-of-arms
Rouge Dragon is a herald at the College of Arms.
- 4
A moth of the species Scoliopteryx libatrix.
- 5
A handbill consisting of an advertisement.
Etymology
From Latin heraldus, from Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”) + *h₂welh₁- (“to be strong”). Doublet of Harold and Harald; compare Walter, which has these elements reversed.
verb
- 1
figurativeTo proclaim or announce an event.
Daffodils herald the Spring.
Then, some five miles north of Bolna, the entry into the Arctic is heralded by a long blast on the whistle of the engine. The Arctic Circle is marked by a sign on the east side of the line.
Our arrival at Worcester is heralded by the appearance of the city's cathedral tower, a solid square structure that's dominated the skyline since the 12th century.
- 2
To greet something with excitement; to hail.
The film was heralded by critics.
noun
- 1
Variant of hareldAlternative form of hareld (“long-tailed duck”).
Forms
- plural
- heralds
- past tense
- heralded
- past participle
- heralded
- present participle
- heralding
- third person singular
- heralds
herald · A messenger, especially one bringing important news.
Herald · A surname.herb · A plant whose stem is not woody and does not persist beyond…Herb · A diminutive of the male given name Herbert.