precognition
/ˌpriːkɒɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n
/noun
1 [mass noun] Foreknowledge of an event, especially as a form of extrasensory perception.The initial postal experiment suggested that true precognition may not be possible....
- Similarly, if someone fails a driver's test, it's ‘precognition’ that the person will likely be a bad driver, but it's again a pretty sensible precognition.
- Moreover, significant correlations were found only in the two experiments that had results suggestive of true precognition.
2 Law, chiefly Scottish The preliminary examination of witnesses, especially to decide whether there is ground for a trial.
Derivatives
precognitive
- The proportion of telepathic responses is, then, 12 / 101, and the proportion of precognitive responses is 4 / 104.
- Because of the unusual nature of the material and the emotions felt, it is very likely that the precognitive dreams were qualitatively different for the letter writer, and therefore more readily attended to.
- One can speculate that as children and teens are more closely connected to friendships of the same sex, it would naturally follow that precognitive dreams and experiences would be about these friends.
Origin
Late Middle English: from late Latin praecognitio(n-), based on Latin cognoscere 'know'.