A person who or thing which presages the arrival of something; a harbinger. Obsolete.

A messenger sent before, a forerunner, a harbinger; spec. a purveyor. Obsolete.

= forayer, n.

One who rides in front; esp. a harbinger.

= avant-courier, n.

One who precedes or arrives before another, esp. a higher dignitary or personage; a precursor. Also transferred. Cf. harbinger, n. 3.

One that goes before and announces the approach of some one; a forerunner. Mostly in transferred and figurative senses, and in literary language.

transferred. One who goes or is sent out in advance in order to prepare the way or to announce the approach of another; a forerunner.

A vaunt-courier or forerunner, in literal and figurative senses.

transferred and figurative. A person (or thing) that precedes and announces the approach of another; a forerunner, precursor.

One who or that which ushers in; an usher or harbinger. Also with in. Occasionally figurative.

A person who or animal which runs along the outside or outer side of something, as an attendant who runs ahead of or beside a carriage, a dog…