herald

Everyday

1. (noun) In the past, an official who carried messages and made announcements for a king or queen. tree →
2. (noun) A sign that something is coming, as in «the herald of spring». tree →
3. (verb) To be a sign that something is about to happen. tree →
4. (verb) To announce or welcome something loudly and publicly. tree →
5. Part of many newspaper names, such as «The Herald». tree →

In the lessons

In history, heralds announced news and organised coats of arms. In Alice in Wonderland the White Rabbit acts as herald at the trial, blowing a trumpet and reading out the charge. In church life the carol «Hark! the herald angels sing» calls the angels heralds of Jesus' birth. In nature lessons, snowdrops herald the coming of spring.

Examples

• The herald blew his trumpet and read the king's message. tree →
• The White Rabbit, acting as herald, read out the accusation. tree →
• Snowdrops herald the start of spring. tree →
• «Hark! the herald angels sing.» tree →
• Dark clouds heralded the storm. tree →
• The invention of the steam engine heralded a new age. tree →
• My grandad reads the Herald every morning. tree →
• All the church bells rung, and the heralds rode about the town proclaiming the betrothal. tree →

Note

Countable noun; regular verb (heralded). Pronounced HE-ruld. «Heraldry» is the study of coats of arms. In sense 3 the subject is the sign, not a person: «Swallows herald summer».

In Jewish tradition

A person who loudly announces a king's order. In Daniel, the herald cries out the king's command to all the peoples and languages to bow down to the golden image. In the primary lessons: In history, heralds announced news and organised coats of arms. In Alice in Wonderland the White Rabbit acts as herald at the trial, blowing a trumpet and reading out the charge. In church life the carol «Hark! the herald angels sing» calls the angels heralds of Jesus' birth. In nature lessons, snowdrops herald the coming of spring.

Examples

• Wind is of course the herald of the storm, the Biblical symbol par excellence of the divine theophany, making wind a potent symbol of divine imminence. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• And the herald cried aloud: 'To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, (Writings DAN.3.4, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable noun; regular verb (heralded). Pronounced HE-ruld. «Heraldry» is the study of coats of arms. In sense 3 the subject is the sign, not a person: «Swallows herald summer».