precognition
UK /ˌpɹiːkɒɡˈnɪʃn̩/ · US /ˌpɹikɑɡˈnɪʃən/ noun
Forms precognitions
- noun (parapsychology) Knowledge of the future; understanding of something in advance, especially as a form of supernatural or extrasensory perception.
- noun (Scots law) The practice of taking a factual statement from a witness before a trial.
Synonyms
prescience foresight foreknowledge clairvoyance premonition divination prophecy psychicness
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French precognition or its source, Latin praecognitio, from praecognōscō (“to know beforehand”). Doublet of Germanic-based foreknowledge and Greek-based prognosis. Equivalent to pre- + cognition.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Previous cognition. Fotherby.
- noun A preliminary examination of a criminal case with reference to a prosecution. Erskine.
Etymology [L. praecognitio, fr. praecognoscere to foreknow. See Pre-, and Cognition.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “precognition”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details