prescience en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈpɹɛʃəns/ (US)
- (Southern-England) audio
- (US) audio
- /ˈpɹɛsi.əns/ (US)
- /ˈpɹɛʃiəns/ (US)
- /ˈpɹɛsɪ.əns/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpɹi-/ (US, sometimes)
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English prescience, from Old French prescience, from Latin praescientia.
Meanings
-
(especially, uncountable, usually) Knowledge of events before they take place. ▸ Such knowledge that is supernatural or paranormal in nature, including the prediction of things that nobody could have known by the ordinary senses.
O thou, who thus the eye hast veil'd, The book of fate so slowly given, I thank thee, that thou hast conceal'd From man the prescience of heaven.
1815, Lydia Sigourney, Moral Pieces in Prose and Verse, On a Sleeping Infant, page 198:God's certain prescience of the volitions of moral agents
1754, Jonathan Edwards, An Inquiry into the Modern Prevailing Notions Respecting that Freedom of the Will which is supposed to be Essential to Moral Agency:
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(sometimes, uncountable, usually) Knowledge of events before they take place. ▸ Such knowledge that comes from wise and thorough forethought (for example, careful planning).
Near-synonym: forethought
With prescience, the Barlows designed them to withstand a third more weight than they would be expected to bear in normal conditions - future proofing the bridge for the weight of trains we see using it today.
2020 September 23, Paul Bigland, “The tragic tale of the Tay Bridge disaster”, in Rail, page 83:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| presciences | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| præscience | alternative | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Relateds
prescient · prescientific · protoscience · protoscientific
Synonyms
prophecy · foresight · precognition · forethought · clairvoyance · foreknowledge · foresight · premonition · divination · psychicness
Translations (16)
no framsyn (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · es presciencia (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · cy rhagwybodaeth (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · da klarsyn (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · bg далновидност (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · no klarsyn (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · yue 先見之明 /先见之明 (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · fi etukäteistieto (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · mi matakite (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · ru предви́дение (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · cs jasnozřivost (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · it preveggenza (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · pt presciência (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · bg предвиждане (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · fr prescience (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge) · gl presciencia (Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge)