preintimation means previous intimation; a suggestion beforehand. It carries an Arena rating of 1533, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, preintimation ranks #1,346 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #5,333 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,414 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #6,520 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
Why “preintimation” is a great word
A previous or early suggestion, indication, or forewarning given beforehand. Its etymology is from the English prefix pre- ("before") + intimation, from Latin intimationem (nominative intimatio), meaning "an announcement, a making known," from the verb intimare ("to put in, announce, impress"). Unlike a "premonition," which is a vague and anxious feeling of future misfortune, or "foreshadowing," a deliberate narrative device, a preintimation is a cooler, more cerebral notion—a formal notification slipped under the door of the mind. It is the chill in the air the morning before the first frost; the single discordant note that surfaces an hour before the string snaps; the faint scent of ozone carried on a still summer breeze. It is the quiet evidence that the future has already begun to announce itself in terms we only later understand.
Etymology
From pre- + intimation.
noun
- Previous intimation; a suggestion beforehand.e.g.“And a preintimation of this was preached to Abraham […]” — 1817, Thomas Scott, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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