Foresight

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfɔɹsaɪt/

Definitions

1. The ability to anticipate future events or needs and plan accordingly
2. The capacity to predict and prepare for future occurrences or requirements is fundamental to effective decision-making
3. Possessing an insight to foresee future developments and making suitable plans is essential for success

Etymology: Foresight is a compound of "fore," meaning before or ahead, and "sight," the ability to see, so the literal idea is seeing ahead. Its earliest English forms, "forsight" and "forsyght," appear in Middle English, and the word took shape as a translation rather than a native invention: it reproduces the Latin "providentia," which combines "pro-" (before) and "videre" (to see) in the same way. Its close relatives in other languages show the same pattern. Scots has "foresicht," Saterland Frisian "Foarsicht," and German "Vorsicht," which is the word for caution today. In those languages the sense of looking ahead drifted toward being careful, and German "Vorsicht" now means caution almost exclusively, while the English word kept the sense of planning for what lies ahead.

Synonyms: forethought, anticipation, planning, premeditation, insight

Antonyms: blindness, ignorance, short-sightedness, naivety, unawareness