adumbration
noun

- the act of providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand

- to foreshadow vaguely

- to suggest, disclose, or outline partially

- the act of giving the main facts and not the details about something, or something that gives these main facts

Dictionary Com, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

—
WORD ORIGIN

The origin of the word "adumbration" can be traced back to the Latin adumbrātiō, which means "sketch; outline, silhouette; pretence, semblance".

Adumbrātiō is derived from the verb adumbrāre, which means "to cast a shadow, overshadow" or "to represent in outline”.

The verb adumbrāre itself is formed from the prefix ad- meaning "to" or "toward”, and umbrare meaning "to cast in shadow", which comes from umbra, meaning "shadow".

“Adumbration" has been used in English since the mid-1500s (initially meaning "faint sketch" or "imperfect representation”) and nowadays is often used to indicate a foreshadowing or forewarning of something in the future,... as in today’s OWAD quiz and examples.

—
SHADOWS OF TOMORROW

In literature, adumbration is a technique used by writers to plant seeds of future events into the minds of their readers. Subtle clues create a tapestry of suspense and foreshadowing that enriches the reading experience. Shakespeare, for instance, masterfully employs adumbration in his plays. In "Macbeth”, the witches’ prophecies adumbrate Macbeth’s rise to power and his eventual downfall, setting the stage for the inevitable tragedy.

In paintings and films, shadows and light play can play an important role in creating mood and hinting at future developments. The chiaroscuro technique, used by masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, and Georges de La Tour provides vivid examples of adumbration. By manipulating light and shadow, they adumbrate the inner turmoil and eventual fate of their subjects.

Psychologically, adumbration can be linked to the human experience of intuition and premonition. Often, our subconscious mind picks up on subtle cues from the environment, leading to a sense of knowing or foreboding about future events.

Adumbration bridges the present with the future, offering a shadowy glimpse into what could lie ahead, and urging us to pay closer attention to the subtle hints that life provides.

Paul Smith

—
SYNONYMS

advance notice, ADUMBRATION, anticipation, as clear as day, as excited as a puppy awaiting, augury, a crystal ball, a fleeting shadow, a glimmer of things to come, a heads up, a harbinger, a hint, an omen (of things to come), an augury, a forerunner, an inkling, bellwether, clue, farsightedness, forecast, foreboding, foreknowledge, foreseeing, foretaste, foretelling, foretoken, forewarning, foreshadowing, glimpse, harbinger, herald, hint, implication, indication, intimation, like a child on Christmas Eve, like a tightly coiled spring, omen, portent, precursor, prediction, prefiguration, prefiguring, prelude, premonition, presage, presentiment, preview, prevision, prophecy, reading the tea leaves, seeing the writing on the wall, sign, suggestion, the shape of things to come, the tip of the iceberg, to see it coming, tapping into the zeitgeist, vision, warning (shot)

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into a sentence, say something like:

“The prototype was merely an ADUMBRATION of the final product's capabilities.”

—
Why Support OWAD?

On evenings and weekends, I research and write your daily OWAD newsletter together with Helga (my lovely wife and business partner) and our eagle-eyed daughter Jennifer. It remains FREE, AD-FREE, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

If you aren’t already, please consider supporting us — even a small donation, equivalent to just 1-cup-of-coffee a month, would help us in covering expenses for mailing, site-hosting, maintenance, and service.

Just head over to DonorBox:
https://donorbox.org/owad-q4-2023-5

or

Bank transfer:
Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40

Important: please state as ’Verwendungszweck’: “OWAD donation” and the email address used to subscribe to OWAD.

Thanks so much,

Paul
(OWAD Founder)