Prefigurement

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An indication or hint that foreshadows something destined to occur in the future
2. A sign or suggestion that gives advance notice of something about to happen
3. Something that suggests or implies a future event through earlier indication or portent

Etymology: "Prefigurement" is built from "prefigure" plus the suffix "-ment". The verb "prefigure" combines the prefix "pre-", meaning "before", with "figure", which in English has long meant to represent or shape a form in the mind or in art. To prefigure something is therefore to shape or show its form in advance, so that the later thing seems foreshadowed by the earlier one. The suffix "-ment" comes from Latin "-mentum", which turned verbs into nouns naming the act, result, or means of an action. Attaching it to "prefigure" yields a noun for the process or result of prefiguring: an advance representation or foreshadowing of something to come. The word is a straightforward formation in English, and its sense follows directly from its parts.

Synonyms: prefiguration, foreshadowing