Other forms: harbingers
A harbinger is a sign that something is on its way. A harbinger of spring, a harbinger of doom, the first harbinger.
It nearly always takes of, and it is used more of bad news than good. The original harbinger was a real job: somebody sent ahead of a travelling household to arrange lodgings, from the same root as harbour.
1nounharbingerA sign that something is on its way.
“The first swallows are a harbinger of summer.”
harbinger is a sign.
harBINGer → the ROBIN that comes before spring
The first robin back on the fence, telling you the spring is on its way.
hooks ontorobin
Old French herbergeor names one sent ahead to arrange lodging, from a Germanic word related to harbour.
Proto-Indo-European
*ker-
Proto-West Germanic
*harjabergu — army camp, shelter
Old High German
heribergan
Old French
herbergeor
Middle English
herberjour
English, today
harbinger
Built from
Originally, a person sent in advance to arrange lodgings. From Middle English herberjour, herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor (French hébergeur), from herbergier (“to set up camp; to shelter; to take shelter”) + -or, from Old High German heribergan, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic harjabergu (“army camp, shelter”). Compare German Herberge, Italian albergo, Dutch herberg, English harbor. More at here, bury.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA