Prognostilise

Prognostilise is a verb used to mean prognosticate, or to forecast future events. It represents a British English spelling variant of the more common verb prognosticate and is far less widely used in contemporary writing. In most contexts, writers will prefer prognosticate.

Etymology and form: Prognostilise derives from the same root as prognosticate, which comes from the Greek prognostikos “foreknowing” and the Latinized form used in English. The suffix -ise reflects a standard British spelling pattern, aligning with other verbs formed with -ise rather than -ize.

Usage and frequency: The form prognostilise is uncommon and may be encountered primarily in historical texts or regional varieties. Many dictionaries do not list it as a standard variant, and modern editors typically favor prognosticate for the verb and prognostication for the noun form. When used, it follows regular -ise verb inflection patterns found in British English: present tense prognostilises, past tense prognostilised, present participle prognostilising.

Grammar and related terms: As a synonym of prognosticate, prognostilise shares the same general meaning—to predict or forecast future events. Related terms include prognostication (the act or result of predicting), prognosticator (one who predicts), and general synonyms such as forecast or foretell.

See also: prognosticate, prognostication, prognosticator, forecast, foretell.