Forewarn vs Signal - What's the difference?
forewarn | signal |
To warn in advance.
*{{quote-book, year=1913, author=
, title=Lord Stranleigh Abroad
, chapter=4 A sign made to give notice of some occurrence, command, or danger, or to indicate the start of a concerted action.
* Milton
An on-off light, semaphore, or other device used to give an indication to another person.
(of a radio, TV, telephone, internet, etc) An electrical or electromagnetic action, normally a voltage that is a function of time that conveys the information of the radio or TV program or of communication with another party.
A token; an indication; a foreshadowing; a sign.
* Shakespeare
* De Foe
Useful information, as opposed to noise.
(computing, Unix) A simple interprocess communication used to notify a process or thread of an occurrence.
To indicate.
Standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement.
* Milton
As a verb forewarn
is to warn in advance.As a noun signal is
signal.forewarn
English
Verb
(en verb)citation, passage=“I came down like a wolf on the fold, didn’t I??? Why didn’t I telephone??? Strategy, my dear boy, strategy. This is a surprise attack, and I’d no wish that the garrison, forewarned , should escape. …”}}
Usage notes
Some discourage this use, finding the term redundant, as a warning is necessarily in advance. However, considering the word's continued presence in the English language ever since the time of the Anglo-Saxons (when it was first coined), the legitimacy of such complaints is somewhat questionable.The dictionary of disagreeable English, Robert Hartwell Fiske, 2006,p. 160Additionally, many others argue that forewarn' is simple emphasis (rather than redundancy), has connotations of “well in advance” (“Watch out!” and “Watch your head!” are warnings, but not forewarnings), and has connotations of “''correct'' prediction”, as in foretell. Both '''forewarn''' and (term) are well-established words, with ' forewarn being attested since 1330.
Derived terms
* forewarned is forearmedReferences
Forewarning signs”, The Grammarphobia Blog, May 8, 2007
signal
English
(wikipedia signal)Alternative forms
* signallNoun
(en noun)- All obeyed / The wonted signal and superior voice / Of this great potentate.
- My mobile phone can't get a signal in the railway station.
- The weary sun / Gives signal of a goodly day to-morrow.
- There was not the least signal of the calamity to be seen.
Antonyms
* (useful information) noiseDerived terms
* signal box * signalman * signalwoman * smoke signalSee also
* tocsinVerb
Adjective
(-)- a signal''' exploit; a '''signal''' service; a '''signal act of benevolence
- As signal now in low, dejected state / As erst in highest, behold him where he lies.