It's Merriam-Webster's word of the day for July 26th.

Today's word is H-E-R-A-L-D-E-L-R-A-L-D. Harold is a verb. It means to give notice of. It's synonymous with the words

announce, publicize, and foreshadow.

Herald may also mean to greet, especially with enthusiasm.

Here's the word used in a sentence from the New Yorker by Simon Webster.

Trumpets Herald the arrival of the players at the arena.

While Harold is the verb more common today, Harold the noun is older.

When the word was first welcomed into English in the early 14th century

it referred to an official at a tournament, one of those nightly sporting events the Middle Ages are famous for.

The Herald's duties included making announcements, hence the words uses relating to announcements both literal and

metaphorical. The word is ultimately Germanic in origin, though like so many words of 14th century vintage it came to English by way of Anglo-French.

The resemblance between Herald and the name Harold is not coincidental. Harold is a modern form of

Charyovalda, the name of a first century leader of the Batavi, a tribe who lived on the lower Rhine.

Their Germanic source of Charivalda, Haria,

is also the source of the word Herald.

With your word of the day,'m Peter Suckalowski.

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