herald

See also: Herald

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈhɛɹəld/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛɹəld
Homophone: Harold (Mary–marry–merry merger)

Etymology 1

From Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”) + *h₂welh₁- (“to be strong”). Compare Walter, which has these elements reversed.

Noun

herald (plural heralds)

A messenger, especially one bringing important news.
The herald blew his trumpet and shouted that the King was dead.
A harbinger, giving signs of things to come.
Daffodils are heralds of Spring.
(heraldry) An official whose speciality is heraldry, especially one between the ranks of pursuivant and king-of-arms.
Rouge Dragon is a herald at the College of Arms.
(entomology) A moth of the species Scoliopteryx libatrix.
(advertising) A handbill consisting of an advertisement.
- 1951, February 24, Billboard (page 52)
  New this season will be a 20-sheet poster depicting 21 K-M elephants parading to local Chevrolet agencies. Deal calls for use of the 20-sheet on poster panels where the auto agency has space allotment. Smaller versions of the same art also will be used.
  Circulation of Kelly-Miller heralds, which last season averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 copies per stand, will be in for one of the greatest boosts this year.

Synonyms

(messenger): messenger
(harbinger): harbinger
(official whose speciality is heraldry): pursuivant

Related terms

heraldic
heraldry

Translations

a messenger, especially one bringing important news

Albanian: lajmëtar (sq) m
Bulgarian: пра́теник (bg) m (prátenik)
Burmese: သံတော်ဆင့် (my) (samtauhcang.)
Catalan: herald m
Danish: herold c
Dutch: heraut (nl) m
Egyptian:

(wḥm)
Finnish: sanansaattaja (fi)
French: héraut (fr) m
German: Herold (de) m, Bote (de) m
Gothic: 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌻𐌻𐌰 m (spilla)
Greek: κήρυκας (el) m (kírykas), αγγελιοφόρος (el) m or f (angeliofóros)
Ancient: κῆρυξ m (kêrux)
Indonesian: bentara (id)
Irish: aralt m, bolscaire m
Italian: araldo (it) m, messaggero (it) m, messo (it) m, banditore (it) m, corriere (it) m
Japanese: 使者 (ja) (ししゃ, shisha), 布告者 (ふこくしゃ, fukokusha), 告知者 (こうちしゃ, kōchisha), 伝令官 (でんれいかん, denreikan), ヘラルド (herarudo)
Latin: praecō m
Macedonian: гла́сник m (glásnik), пра́теник m (prátenik)
Maori: kaiwaewae, karere, pūrahorua
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: проповѣдьникъ m (propovědĭnikŭ)
Old English: ār m
Persian: جلویز‎ (fa) (jalviz)
Portuguese: arauto (pt) m, mensageiro (pt)
Romanian: mesager (ro) m, trimis (ro) m, sol (ro) m
Russian: ве́стник (ru) m (véstnik)
Spanish: heraldo (es)
Swedish: härold (sv) c
Turkish: haberci (tr)

a harbinger giving signs of things to come

Armenian: բանբեր (hy) (banber)
Bulgarian: вестител m (vestitel)
Catalan: herald m
Dutch: aankondiger (nl) m, verkondiger m
Esperanto: heroldo
Finnish: airut (fi), tuoja (fi), merkki (fi)
French: ^{(please verify)} annonciateur (fr) m, ^{(please verify)} signe avant-coureur m
German: Verkündiger m
Greek: πρόδρομος (el) m (pródromos), προάγγελος (el) m (proángelos)
Italian: foriero (it) m, precursore (it) m, premonitore m, annunciatore (it) m
Japanese: 前触れ (ja) (まえぶれ, maebure)
Macedonian: гласник m (glasnik), весник m (vesnik), предвесник m (predvesnik)
Maori: kawainga
Polish: herold (pl) m
Portuguese: arauto (pt)
Romanian: mesager (ro) m, herald (ro) m, vestitor (ro) m
Russian: геро́льд (ru) m (gerólʹd)
Serbo-Croatian: glasnik (sh), vesnik (sh)
Spanish: heraldo (es) m
Turkish: haberci (tr), resul (tr)

an official whose speciality is heraldry

Burmese: သံတော်ဆင့် (my) (samtauhcang.)
Finnish: heraldikko
French: héraut (fr)
German: Wappenherold m, Wappenausleger m
Greek: οικοσημολόγος m or f (oikosimológos)
Indonesian: bentara (id)
Irish: aralt m
Italian: araldo (it) m
Japanese: 布告者 (ふこくしゃ, fukokusha), 使者 (ja) (ししゃ, shisha), ヘラルド (herarudo)
Macedonian: хералд m (herald)
Portuguese: (Brazil) arauto (pt) m
Romanian: herald (ro) m
Spanish: heraldo (es) m
Swedish: härold (sv) c, heraldiker (sv) c

moth

Finnish: liuskayökkönen
French: découpure (fr) f
German: Motte (de) f
Polish: szczerbówka f
Turkish: güve (tr)

Verb

herald (third-person singular simple present heralds, present participle heralding, simple past and past participle heralded)

(transitive) To proclaim or announce an event.
Daffodils herald the Spring.
- 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 67:
  Our arrival at Worcester is heralded by the appearance of the city's cathedral tower, a solid square structure that's dominated the skyline since the 12th century.
(transitive, usually passive) To greet something with excitement; to hail.
The film was heralded by critics.

Synonyms

(announce): disclose, make known; See also Thesaurus:announce

Translations

announce

Bulgarian: възвестявам (bg) (vǎzvestjavam)
Dutch: aankondigen (nl), verkondigen (nl), inluiden (nl)
French: annoncer (fr)
German: verkünden (de)
Greek: προαναγγέλλω (el) (proanangéllo)
Italian: annunciare (it), proclamare (it)
Macedonian: предвестува (predvestuva), навестува (navestuva)
Maori: ārahi
Romanian: anunța (ro)
Russian: предвещать (ru) (predveščatʹ)
Spanish: anunciar (es)
Turkish: haber vermek (tr), müjdelemek (tr)

Noun

herald (plural heralds)

Alternative form of hareld (“long-tailed duck”)

Anagrams

-hedral, Erdahl, Hadler, Halder, hardel, hareld, harled

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English herald.

Noun

herald m (plural heralzi)

herald

Declension

Declension of herald

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) herald	heraldul	(niște) heralzi	heralzii
genitive/dative	(unui) herald	heraldului	(unor) heralzi	heralzilor
vocative	heraldule		heralzilor