Herauld

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A messenger or official who carries public announcements ; something that signals an approaching event or change ; to make a public declaration of something important
2. An official bearer of news in former times ; an omen or early indication of what will follow ; to announce loudly or publicly that something has arrived
3. A person who formerly made official proclamations for a ruler ; a sign that foreshadows a coming development ; to proclaim something widely or usher it in

Etymology: The root is probably a Germanic compound meaning roughly "army-ruler," built from words for army and command. It passed into Old French as "herault," and early heralds were officials who carried messages between warring lords and announced tournaments and proclamations. The spelling "herauld" is an older variant. Writers likely added the "u" by false association with French "haut" (high) or Latin "altus," even though neither word is part of the true history. The shorter form won out in modern English, and the longer spelling now survives mainly in older texts.