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herald

[ her-uhld ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

(formerly) a royal or official messenger, especially one representing a monarch in an ambassadorial capacity during wartime.
a person or thing that precedes or comes before; forerunner; harbinger:
the returning swallows, those heralds of spring.
a person or thing that proclaims or announces:
A good newspaper should be a herald of truth.
(in the Middle Ages) an officer who arranged tournaments and other functions, announced challenges, marshaled combatants, etc., and who was later employed also to arrange processions, funerals, etc., and to regulate the use of armorial bearings.
an official intermediate in rank between a king-of-arms and a pursuivant, in the Heralds' College in England or the Heralds' Office in Scotland.

verb (used with object)

to give news or tidings of; announce; proclaim:
a publicity campaign to herald a new film.
to indicate or signal the coming of; usher in.
Synonyms: , ,

herald

/ ˈ��ɛ��ə�� /

noun

1. a person who announces important news
2. ( as modifier )
  herald angels
literary.
a forerunner; harbinger
the intermediate rank of heraldic officer, between king-of-arms and pursuivant
(in the Middle Ages) an official at a tournament

verb

to announce publicly
to precede or usher in

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Word History and Origins

Origin of herald¹

1300–50; Middle English herau ( l ) d < Old French herau ( l ) t < Frankish *heriwald, equivalent to *heri army + *wald commander ( wield ). Compare name Harold

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Word History and Origins

Origin of herald¹

C14: from Old French herault, of Germanic origin; compare Old English here war; see wield

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

His supporters heralded the announcement Tuesday as a major step in the secretary’s movement to “Make America Healthy Again.”

From

Francis's papacy heralded many firsts and while he never stopped introducing reforms to the Catholic Church, he remained popular among traditionalists.

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His ascension to the papacy heralded many firsts.

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While a lot of the rain will be light and patchy and some places will escape it altogether, this weekend heralds a return to more typical April conditions.

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For most places it will be Saturday night before wetter weather returns and Sunday will see a marked drop in temperatures, heralding a period of more unsettled weather in the week to come.

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Herakleion heralded

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