foretel

English

Verb

foretel (third-person singular simple present foretels, present participle foretelling, simple past and past participle foretold)

1. Obsolete spelling of foretell
   • 1654, Thomas Gataker, A Discours Apologetical‎^[1], London: Thomas Newberry, page 4:

     And yet by the way, as one sometime demanded of one of his complices, How it came to pass, that they, who take upon them by the Stars, to tel everie draggle-tail’d Girl that comes to them to enquire after a Silver Spoon lost, what was become of it, and which way it was gone; yet could not by their star-skil foresee and foretel the Scotch Kings defeat at Worcester […]

   • November 16, 1786, Tiberius Cavallo, Magnetical Experiments and Obſervations, page #22:

     This wonderful phænomenon has, ſince it was firſt diſcovered, employed the thoughts of very able philoſophers ; many hypotheſes having been offered, not only for its explanation, but even to foretel the future variations in various parts of the world.

   • 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter V, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 75:

     “I hope not that.—It is not likely. No, Mr. Knightley, do not foretel vexation from that quarter.” “Not I, indeed. I only name possibilities. I do not pretend to Emma’s genius for foretelling and guessing. I hope, with all my heart, the young man may be a Weston in merit, and a Churchill in fortune.—[…]”