precog v.

to predict the future; to predict (something) in the future

Paranormal

  • 1948 H. Beam Piper Police Operation in Astounding Science Fiction July 17/2 page image H. Beam Piper bibliography

    We exist perpetually at all moments within our life-span; our extraphysical ego component passes from the ego existing at one moment to the ego existing at the next. During unconsciousness, the EPC is 'time-free'; it may detach, and connect at some other moment, with the ego existing at that time-point. That’s how we precog. We take an autohypno and recover memories brought back from the future moment and buried in the subconscious mind.

  • 1958 J. W. Campbell In Times to Come in Astounding Science Fiction Aug. 106 page image John W. Campbell, Jr. bibliography

    The editorial chronoscope, whereby we precog the future, developed a fault, somehow, when we were making up the July issue.

  • 1960 J. Harmon Last Trespasser 78/2 page image Jim Harmon bibliography

    I wasn’t convinced that some of the Riders in there won’t precog our plans to save themselves.

  • 1991 A. McCaffrey Pegasus In Flight 317 Anne McCaffrey bibliography

    Sascha’s pre-cogged it. To his intense astonishment.

  • 2015 D. Weber Sword of South xi. 231 page image David Weber bibliography

    ‘That’s ridiculous! Wizards can’t pre-cog, Lentos, and not even a mage could pre-cog that far ahead! Or are you saying he fooled us about that, too?’ ‘What I’m saying is even more disturbing. He never outright lied about his ability to touch the mage talent, but he did say—and I quote from the records—“not even a wild wizard has the power of precognition.”’

Research requirements

antedating 1948
Earliest cite

H. Beam Piper, 'Police Operation'
Research History
Mike Christie submitted a 1958 cite from editorial material by John Campbell in Astounding.
Michael Dolbear submitted a 1991 cite from Anne McCaffrey's "Pegasus in Flight".
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from an undated reprint of H. Beam Piper's "Police Operation": Mike Christie verified this in its first publication (Astounding, July 1948).
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2015 cite from David Weber.

We would like cites of any date from other sources.

Last modified 2021-11-18 19:13:24
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.