What does precognition mean?
Precognition means knowledge or apparent knowledge of an event before it happens. It commonly describes a person's claimed ability to anticipate the future through intuition, dreams, visions, or other experiences outside ordinary rational inference. The idea appears in folklore, religious traditions, literature, and debates about whether the mind can access future events. In everyday conversation, saying that someone has a premonition usually suggests a vague feeling about what is to come, while precognition can imply more specific advance knowledge. The term is also used in academic and scientific writing when researchers describe or evaluate alleged experiences, often with the qualifying terms “claimed” or “apparent” to avoid endorsing the supernatural explanation. Its interest lies partly in its long history: the word comes from Latin roots meaning “to know beforehand.” Whether such knowledge is possible remains controversial, but precognition remains a precise and evocative term for the supposed perception of what has not yet occurred.
nounPrecognition is the claimed or apparent knowledge of an event before it occurs, especially through intuition, dreams, or other non-rational means. In ordinary usage, it often refers to a person's supposed ability to anticipate the future.
- The claimed or apparent knowledge of a future event before it happens, often experienced as an intuition, dream, or sudden premonition.
"She experienced a sudden feeling of precognition before receiving the news."
"The novel explores a character's unsettling powers of precognition."
"The study investigates claims that dreams may involve precognition of future events."
The regular plural is uncommon because the word is usually used in the singular or in phrases referring to the supposed ability in general.
"The book compares accounts of precognitions recorded in dreams and diaries."
Its Latin roots literally mean "knowing beforehand," a fitting description for one of the most intriguing claims about the human mind.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of precognition
The English word derives from Latin praecognitio, a noun meaning “advance knowledge” or “knowledge beforehand.” It is formed from praecognoscere, combining the prefix prae-, meaning “before,” with cognoscere, meaning “to get to know” or “recognize.” English cognates and related words include cognition, cognizance, recognize, and reconnaissance, all reflecting the same Latin root of knowing or recognition.
Related word forms
How precognition is actually used
The word is usually formal, literary, or associated with discussions of paranormal beliefs. It can also be used neutrally in psychological, neurological, and philosophical contexts.
Easily confused with precognition
A premonition is usually a vague feeling that something will happen, whereas precognition implies knowledge of a specific future event.
Foresight is the ability to anticipate possible future events through reasoning and judgment, while precognition suggests knowing the future itself.