cassandra

1. Synonym of leather leaf (“Chamaedaphne calyculata”).

   Very commonly the forerunner of mat formation is the cassandra (Chamaedaphne calyculata). This shrub occurs both along the shore and along the edges of the advancing mat and frequently grows out several feet into the open water.

   1981, Timothy K. Kratz, The Formation of a Northern Wisconsin Kettle-hole Bog, page 19

   Synonyms: leather leaf

plural Cassandras

1. Greekcountableuncountablehuman sciencesA prophetess who was daughter of King Priam of Troy and his queen Hecuba. She captured the eye of Apollo and was granted the ability to see the future; however, she was destined never to be believed.

   And so when Cassandra foretold the evils that were to come upon Troy, even her own people would not credit her words.

   1897, Michael Clarke, The Story of Troy, page 30

2. countableuncountableA female given name from Ancient Greek.

   Cassandra sat down on a small sofa next to Mrs Budley.

   2013, M. C. Beaton, chapter 4, in Miss Tonks Turns to Crime

   3 more examples

   But succeeding ages (little regarding S. Chrysosthome's admonition to the contrary) have recalled prophane names, so as now Diana, Cassandra, Hyppolytus, Venus, Lais, names of unhappy disaster are as rife, as ever they were in paganism.

   1605, William Camden, Remains Concerning Britain, John Russell Smith, published 1870, page 56

   Warren J. Tyler, son of Joel, was born in Byron, July 28, 1828. He married Cassandra Tyler, of Stafford, and has four children living.

   1890, Frederick W. Beers, Gazetteer and Biographical Record of Genesee County, N.Y., 1788–1890, page 656

   "What's your name?" I asked. "Cassandra." Ah, a mythical name. It fit with the fairy-tale looks.

   2004, Torey Hayden, chapter 1, in Twilight Children, HarperCollins UK, published 2013, →ISBN

3. A placename
   1. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Walker County, Georgia, United States.
   2. countableuncountableA small borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States.

plural Cassandras

1. figurativelyA person who makes dire predictions, especially those which are not believed but which turn out to be true.

   "Well, take my word for it, those girls will never marry; marriage is like money—seem to want it, and you never get it." The Cassandra was scarcely departed, when the objects of her oracle appeared—Mrs. Fergusson and her two daughters.

   1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 36

   3 more examples

   1876–1877, "The New Republic", book III, chapter IV, page 46 in Belgravia: An Illustrated London Magazine, volume XXXI 'By the way,' said Mr. Saunders […] , 'I suppose I may speak the truth freely, as I know well enough that all to whom my vaticinations would be unwelcome are sure to mistake me for a Cassandra.'

   When Cassandras like Pete Peterson, the former Commerce Secretary, present alarming numbers about the future burden of baby boomers on the budget, it turns out that only part of that prospective burden represents the sheer demographic effects of an aging population: […]

   1997 March 9, Paul Krugman, “Does Getting Old Cost Society Too Much?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   At the time, she [Naomi Wolf] was appearing on dozens of far-right shows where she was treated the way she seems to see herself: as a prophet, a Cassandra, a persecuted victim of powerful forces, a hero for nonetheless being willing to speak her truth.

   2023, Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, Penguin, →ISBN, page 344

   Synonyms: doomsayer, ariolater, Chaldean, clairvoyant, divinator, diviner, duckerer, foreteller