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A sign that the universe is buffering before something dramatic loads.

means A sign or warning that something significant, often ominous, is about to happen.

from From Latin portentum, 'a sign or omen,' from portendere 'to foretell, predict' — built from por- (a variant of pro-, 'forth') plus tendere 'to stretch.' So a portent literally 'stretches forth' a warning, reaching out from the future to tap you on the shoulder. Same tendere that gives us tend, tension, and extendall about stretching toward something.

latin rootFrom portendere, meaning to foretell or stretch forth
sky obsessedComets were history's favorite portents of doom
adjective formPortentous can mean ominous or pompously self-important
shakespeareCaesar ignored portents and got famously stabbed
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