Both Uses of
herald
in
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- The confrontation, which brought relief, had come on an ordinary unheralded evening.†
p. 259.0 *unheralded = not announced or not recognizedstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unheralded means not and reverses the meaning of heralded. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- Any break from routine may herald for them unbearable news.†
p. 114.3
Definitions:
-
(1)
(herald as in: heralds the coming of...) a sign that something will happen -- especially something important and good
or:
to announce or welcome -- especially with enthusiasm -
(2)
(herald as in: announced by herald & trumpet) a person who announces important news -- especially a king's representative
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) More rarely, herald can also refer to an official whose specialty is heraldry (the study of coats of arms -- symbols once used to signify the right to bear arms).
Historically a herald was a person who made announcements at jousting matches, or (much more rarely) any prestigious assistant in a dignified setting such as a courthouse or royal palace.