herald

(v) To signal the approach or beginning of something; to proclaim or announce. (n) A person or thing viewed as a sign that something is about to happen.

• (no common derivatives)

• herald a new era
• herald the arrival
• herald change
• herald as
• widely heralded

1. 1.The discovery of penicillin heralded a new era in medicine. (signal the beginning)
2. 2.The first warm breeze of March heralded the end of a long winter. (indicate arrival)

• signal/ˈsɪɡnəl/— to indicate — more neutral
• announce/əˈnaʊns/— to make publicly known
• foreshadow/fɔːrˈʃædoʊ/— to suggest in advance — more subtle

from Old French "heraut" (messenger, envoy) — originally an officer who made proclamations and arranged tournaments