prodrome
/ˈpɹoʊˌdɹoʊm/noun
prodrome is a noun meaning “A precursor or harbinger; also a warning event” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled P-R-O-D-R-O-M-E and has 2 syllables, and it appears about once in every 44 million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data). The plural of prodrome is prodromes.
What does prodrome mean?
noun
- 1
rareA precursor or harbinger; also a warning event.
These may prove the Prodromes […] to the ruin of our Monarchy.
- 2
An introductory or preliminary book or treatise.
(archaic)
- 3
An early sign or symptom (or set of signs and symptoms) warning of the onset of a disease.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteProdromous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce prodrome?
- US /ˈpɹoʊˌdɹoʊm/
Prodrome has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of prodrome
- prodromes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How common is prodrome?
Prodrome appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Prodrome in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does prodrome come from?
Probably by analogy with syndrome (pro- + -drome), but consistent with Ancient Greek προδρομή (prodromḗ, “running forward, sally, skirmish”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).