Omen
An event taken as a sign of what is to come, whether good or bad, from an eclipse to a spilled drink.
Also: portent, sign, presage
Omens are a part of daily life in many societies: a comet, a dream, an animal crossing a path, a sneeze, a dropped knife. Mesopotamian scribes compiled long omen collections such as Enuma Anu Enlil, and Chinese and Roman states recorded prodigies. An omen differs from divination in that it is not sought, but arrives. Many communities have a stock of responses, such as turning back, repeating a phrase or performing a small rite to cancel a bad sign. Anthropologists see omen belief as a means of finding order in an unpredictable world, and as a shared language that lets families discuss worries without blaming anyone.