John the Baptist

Definition

A harbinger or prophetic figure, often one initially ignored or rejected by others.

Etymology

From Middle English Johan þe Babtis, from Latin Iōannēs Baptista.

Example Sentences

• "[…] and praise such as Glenn Frank’s: “Keyserling may turn out to be a John the Baptist of a new Western civilization.”"
• "In 1935 Szálasi had been a lonely John the Baptist in Hungarian politics, the self-appointed leader of a tiny party, less than 500 strong, advocating an unpopular cause."
• "Ellis makes Diaghilev a John the Baptist of a ‘classico-mathematical Renaissance’, and the notion that this was a renaissance of some kind or other was evidently in the air."