boding
UK[ˈbəʊdɪŋ]US[ˈboʊdɪŋ]
n
a feeling that something bad is going to happen; a foreboding
Etymology
The word 'boding' originates from the Middle English verb 'boden', meaning 'to announce, foretell', which itself comes from the Old English 'bodian'. This Old English term is related to 'boda', meaning 'a messenger'. The core sense of announcing or telling evolved specifically towards announcing or foretelling evil, leading to the modern meaning of a forewarning of misfortune. The present participle form 'boding' became lexicalized as a noun describing the ominous feeling or portent itself. The semantic journey is from the general act of proclaiming to the specific sense of proclaiming or indicating future calamity.
Analysis
The word 'boding' is a simplex form derived from the verb 'bode'. It is not productively segmented into separate morphemes in modern English.
Examples
A deep sense of boding filled her as she entered the abandoned house.
The dark clouds were a boding of the storm to come.
He could not shake off the boding that their plan would end in disaster.