Forthcomings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Events or items expected to happen or be made available soon; communications or announcements due to be released in the near future; anticipated developments or arrivals that are planned or scheduled to occur
2. Things that are predicted or arranged to present themselves shortly; notices or statements that will be disclosed imminently; upcoming activities or productions that are set to take place or appear soon
3. Scheduled events or releases that will appear without much delay; information or messages that are prepared for imminent distribution; future occurrences or manifestations expected to materialize soon

Etymology: The noun in question emerges from the combination of the adjective "forthcoming" with the plural noun suffix "-s," creating a word that refers to events, information, or items that are about to appear or become available. The base adjective "forthcoming" itself is a compound formed from "forth," meaning forward or onward, and "coming," the present participle of "come." This construction vividly conveys the sense of something approaching or on the horizon. "Forthcoming" entered English usage around the late Middle Ages, initially functioning as an adjective to describe things that are forthcoming in time or ready to be provided. Over time, the need arose to nominalize this adjective to refer collectively to such anticipated items or events, leading to the formation of the plural noun. This shift reflects a broader linguistic pattern where adjectives describing temporal or spatial relations become nouns denoting the entities they describe. The plural form emphasizes multiple instances or occurrences expected in the near future, often used in contexts like publishing, entertainment, or announcements. For example, it may denote forthcoming books, releases, or meetings. While the word itself does not possess a dramatic or singular origin story, its structure neatly illustrates English's flexible word-formation processes, turning a descriptive phrase into a concrete noun representing anticipation and imminence. In summary, the noun is a straightforward yet useful lexical development from the adjective "forthcoming," inheriting its core meaning of approach or availability and extending it to denote a collection of anticipated things. Its components have Old English roots, with "forth" tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period and "coming" deriving from the verb "cuman," meaning to come or arrive, making the term a product of centuries of linguistic evolution.

Synonyms: arrivals, upcomings, approachings, imminents