What does bodement mean?
Bodement is a rare English noun meaning an omen or prediction — a sign of what is yet to come. It derives from the verb "bode," meaning to foreshadow or portend, and belongs to the same family as "boding" and "forbode." A bodement can be an external event read as a warning, such as a strange weather pattern or an animal's odd behavior, or an internal presentiment felt by a person anticipating trouble. The word carries an inherently ominous connotation: bodements are almost always of ill fortune rather than good, which links them to the long literary tradition of omens and auguries. Though it survives chiefly in older literature and elevated or archaic prose, bodement remains a precise and evocative term for anyone describing forewarnings in a deliberately antique or poetic voice.
nounA prediction or indication of something to come; an omen or portent of a future event.
- An omen, portent, or sign indicating what will happen in the future.
"The crows gathering on the fence seemed an unmistakable bodement of the storm to come."
"The villagers took the blood-red sunset as a bodement of misfortune."
"Her uneasy silence was a bodement that bad news was coming."
The plural is used when multiple signs or omens are referred to collectively.
"The old seer read the day's strange bodements as warnings against travel."
Shakespeare's world was full of bodements — but you've probably never met this word, even though it's hiding inside every "boding" you've ever read.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bodement
Bodement comes from the verb "to bode" (to be an omen of something), which traces back to Old English "bodian," meaning to proclaim or announce, from Proto-Germanic roots related to announcing or foretelling. The suffix "-ment" forms nouns of action or result, so a bodement is literally the result or content of boding — a forewarning. Its Germanic cognates include Old High German "boton" (to announce) and related words in Dutch and Scandinavian languages.
Related word forms
How bodement is actually used
Bodement is rare and literary or archaic in flavor; "boding," "omen," and "portent" are far more common in modern English. It appears mostly in older texts and poetic register.
Easily confused with bodement
"Boding" is the more common noun or adjective describing an omen or ominous quality, while "bodement" is a rarer, more literary variant with the same sense.