Futural

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to what is yet to happen or exist in time
2. Concerning events or conditions that will occur later in time
3. Connected with or characteristic of times or things to come

Etymology: "Futural" is a plain formation: the noun "future" with the adjectival suffix "-al" attached. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends from a Proto-Indo-European root that formed adjectives, passed into Latin as "-alis", and reached English through Old French and Middle English, where "-al" became a productive way to turn nouns into adjectives. Most English adjectives ending in "-al" entered by that route, which is why the ending looks so familiar. The base word carries a more striking history. "Future" came into English from Old French and ultimately from Latin "futurus", the future participle of "esse", meaning "to be". A word meaning "that which is about to be" therefore grew out of the simple idea of existence. "Futural" simply sets that concept to the adjectival ending, so it means "about the future" in the same way "natural" relates to "nature".

Synonyms: future, prospective

Antonyms: past, historical