bode

Definition

To indicate by signs, as future events; to be an omen of; to portend or foretell.

Etymology

Verb from Middle English boden, from Old English bodian (“announce, foretell”), from Proto-West Germanic *bodōn, from Proto-Germanic *budōną (“to proclaim, announce, lere, instruct”). See bid. Noun from Middle English bod, from Old English bod, from Proto-Germanic *budą (“message, offer”). Since 1740 also a shortening of forebode.

Example Sentences

• "O heaven, O earth, bear witness to this sound, And crown what I profess with kind event If I speak true; if hollowly invert What best is boded me to mischief: I, Beyond all limit of what else i' th' world, Do love, prize, honour you."
• "Whatever now / The omen prove, it boded well to you."
• "Recent investment by Sellafield and DRS in new wagons and more environmentally friendly traction bodes well for the future of one of the UK's last remaining internal rail networks and for the dedicated team who operate and maintain it."