Bode: to portend; to foreshadow; to forecast; to indicate the future by signs
When something bodes ill, watch out. Trouble is on the way. But, bode isn’t always negative.
If something bodes well, then future events will be good.
Anglo Saxon beer commercials reminded our forefathers: “This bodes for you.”
(Well, they would have if the Anglo Saxons had beer commercials.)
Bode is neutral. Something may bode well, or it may bode disaster.
Bode comes from the Old English word bodian, “to announce; to foretell.” Bodian also shows up in the word foreboding. But, unlike bode, which can go either way, foreboding is negative. If something is foreboding, things do not bode well.
Synonyms of bode include foretell, indicate, predict, signify, forecast, and my personal favorite, betoken.
