What is a word that means “omen” but for something that has already happened? [closed]
What is a word that means “omen” but for something that has already happened? [closed]
Just as the subject says, I'm looking for a noun that is similar in meaning to "omen," but that refers not to something that will happen, but rather to something that has already happened.
Is there something more precise than "sign?"
"Lemminkäinen’s mother receives a ___ that her son has been killed, and journeys to the underworld to resurrect him."
Note that the mother is far away from the place of her son's death, and only learns of it through a sign, or a "reverse omen," if you will.
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As Jim says, the main defining feature of an omen is that it refers to something in the future. It’s not clear to me what meaning you’re looking for if you take away the central meaning of the word you’re using as your basis. It’s a little bit like asking for an adjective with a similar meaning to purple, but without the reference to colour—there isn’t that much left for it to mean, then, unless it’s some specific property of purpleness you’re alluding to.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
Aug 29 at 16:04
@WartimeHotTot Premonition refers to an intangible sense of something occurring, without a valid & solid reference point it has, or will happen. "I was on my way to the office and had premonition that I should go the back roads instead of the highway. When I got to work, I found out the highway was closed down by a multi-car accident 15 minutes after I left my house."
– Norman Edward
Aug 29 at 16:21
I think omen is forward-looking relative to the object of the omen, but just because it happened in the past wouldn't mean it is no longer an omen. "I saw a raven on the stop sign, so I stopped. Just then, a car careened through the intersection where I would have been." That raven could be said to be an omen no matter if it all happened in the past. It wouldn't stop being an omen just because the signal and event were both in the past.
– Andrew
Aug 29 at 16:30
From the sentence you provided, something like "vision".
– Andrew
Aug 29 at 16:36
5 Answers
5
Based on the sentence you provided:
Vision
an experience of seeing someone or something in a dream or trance, or as a supernatural apparition.
Postmonition (formed by post- "after in time" and monition meaning "warning" as opposed to a premonition - future) - not a dictonary word.
dreaming something happened, after it happened, without knowing it happened.
Yes, I think vision or sign will have to do. Or the sentence could be recast, mother somehow knew or felt that her son had been killed.
– Cerberus
Aug 29 at 17:10
You need to add a reference to your quotations. Which sources are you quoting ?
– Nigel J
Aug 29 at 21:10
Can you please provide source for Postmonition?
– ubi hatt
Aug 30 at 3:52
I would recommend the word "Revelation".
We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer; explain why your answer is right, ideally with citations. Answers that don't include explanations may be removed.
I was coming to add this word as answer. Can you please flesh out the answer to provide support for why this word works? (definition, explanation, etc)
– Mr.Mindor
Aug 29 at 20:00
You might recast the sentence using feeling along the lines of
"Lemminkäinen’s mother had an uneasy/nasty/distressing/alarming/enraging feeling that her son has been killed..."
You can have a feeling that something has happened (in the past), something is happening (now), or something is going to happen (in the future).
I am still not clear that the person who received such omen is a clairvoyant or just a normal person without any supernatural power? Also, the word omen is neutral. There can be good omen or bad omen. But, it can be inferred from the example sentence, that it is a bad omen.
If a person is clairvoyant, then clairvoyance (noun) is the word OP is looking for. Clairvoyance is the ability or natural gift that can help you look into the future as well as past.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clairvoyance
the power or faculty of discerning objects not present to the senses or ability to perceive matters beyond the range of ordinary perception.
E.g.
People who claim to have clairvoyance are sometimes asked to help locate missing persons.
In above example, people who are clairvoyant can locate already missing person. It clearly indicates, that the event of a person missing already happened in the past.
On the other hand, if a person do not have any special supernatural ability, then I will call such a bad omen as a whisper in the heart.
The question asks for a word that "refers... to something that has already happened." Possibly misread?
– tmgr
Aug 29 at 17:24
@tmgr thanks! you are right. I completely missed the past thingy. Now, I am more confuse about what OP is looking for.
– ubi hatt
Aug 30 at 4:25
Intuition might be a possibility. It really depends on how she is receiving the message. The mother's intuition told her...
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– Roger Sinasohn
Aug 29 at 20:24
I would add that the verb form "intuit" is a not-as-common but still recognizable usage.
– feelinferrety
Aug 29 at 21:09
Could you give an example sentence where this word could be used? Since 'omen' implies foreboding, it really can't apply to the past. So it's unclear how this would be used.
– Jim Mack
Aug 29 at 15:59