prefigure

/ˌpriːˈfɪɡjər/
verb
  1. To be an early sign or indication of something that will happen or exist in the future.
    • The decline in sales prefigured the company's eventual bankruptcy.
    • Her early interest in science prefigured her career as a researcher.
    • The first few warm days in March prefigure the arrival of spring.
  2. To imagine or represent something before it happens.
    • Politicians often prefigure their policies in campaign speeches.
    • The architect prefigured the final design in a series of rough sketches.
    • The author prefigured many modern inventions in his science fiction novels.
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