prescience

noun

pre·​science ˈpre-sh(ē-)ən(t)s 

ˈprē-,

-s(ē-)ən(t)s

: foreknowledge of events:

a

: divine omniscience

b

: human anticipation of the course of events : foresight

prescient

ˈpre-sh(ē-)ənt 

ˈprē-

-s(ē-)ənt

adjective

presciently adverb

Did you know?

If you know the origin of science you already know half the story of prescience. Science comes from the Latin verb sciō, scīre, "to know," also source of such words as conscience, conscious, and omniscience. Prescience has as its ancestor a word that attached prae-, a predecessor of pre-, to this root to make praescire, meaning "to know beforehand."

Synonyms

• foreknowledge
• foresight

Examples of prescience in a Sentence

He predicted their response with amazing prescience.

Her prescience as an investor is impressive.

Recent Examples on the Web

As a result of Iger’s vision and prescience, Disney is way ahead of traditional media peers in bridging the linear-to-streaming transition, with its streaming business driving billions more in revenue than any of its legacy competitors. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

Instead, the Kremlin has been blaming a warped combination of Western prescience, and Ukrainian assistance. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024

And a film that felt at once hopeful and foreboding now takes on a dreadful prescience. —Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024

Its true prescience, though, lay in its ambivalence. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin praescientia, from Latin praescient-, praesciens, present participle of praescire to know beforehand, from prae- + scire to know — more at science

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

prescience

noun

pre·​science ˈprēsh(-ē)-ən(t)s 

ˈpresh-

: foresight sense 1