Meanings
plural prodigies
- An extraordinary occurrence or creature; an anomaly, especially a monster; a freak.First known use 16th c.
- An amazing or marvellous thing; a wonder.First known use 17th c.
He is never chased; he would run away with rope-walks of line. Prodigies are told of him.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter XXXII, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 153 - A wonderful example of something.First known use 17th c.
Traffic at Dover Marine has developed far beyond anything envisaged when the station was built. The layout has become rather cramped, and prodigies of organisation are performed annually by all concerned to save complete saturation.
1959 October 28, T. W. E. Roche, “Traffic Working at Dover Marine Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 680 - An extremely talented person, especially a child.First known use 17th c.
Synonyms: wunderkind, boy-genius, boy wonder, girl-genius, girl wonder, child prodigy
- archaicAn extraordinary thing seen as an omen; a portent.First known use 15th c.
John Foxe believed that special prodigies had heralded the Reformation.
1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 872 more examples
These on the farther bank now stood and gazed, / By Heaven alarm’d, by prodigies amazed: / A signal omen stopp’d the passing host, / Their martial fury in their wonder lost.
1717, Homer, “Book XII”, in Alexander Pope, transl., The Iliad of Homer, volume III, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLCProdigies and Portents have infected the beſt VVritings of Antiquity; and have ſo blotted and deformed our modern Annals, that (vvith greater Juſtice than Polybius has obſerv'd it, of the former) they may be rather called Tragedies than History.
1727, William Warburton, “Part I”, in A Critical and Philosophical Enquiry into the Causes of Prodigies and Miracles, as Related by Historians. […], London: […] Thomas Corbett, […], →OCLC, page 1
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn extremely talented person, especially a child.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna sign of something about to happen
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinprōdigium“omen, portent, prophetic sign”
- Middle Englishprodige“portent”
- Englishprodigy
From Middle English prodige (“portent”), from Latin prōdigium (“omen, portent, prophetic sign”).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic أُعْجُوبَة, أُعْجُوبَة
- أُعْجُوبَة (ʔuʕjūba)amazing or marvelous thing
- أُعْجُوبَة (ʔuʕjūba)wonderful example of something
- نَابِغَة (nābiḡa)extremely talented person, especially a child
Bulgarian чудо, феномен
- чудо (čudo)amazing or marvelous thing
- феномен (fenomen)wonderful example of something
- вундеркинд (vunderkind)extremely talented person, especially a child
- знамение (znamenie)extraordinary thing seen as an omen
Catalan prodigi, prodigi
- prodigiamazing or marvelous thing
- prodigiwonderful example of something
- prodigiextremely talented person, especially a child
- prodigiextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Chinese Mandarin 神童, 聖童 /圣童
- 神童 (shéntóng)extremely talented person, especially a child
- 聖童 /圣童 (shèngtóng)extremely talented person, especially a child
- 資優兒童 /资优儿童 (zīyōu értóng)extremely talented person, especially a child
Czech zázrak, zázračné dítě
- zázrakamazing or marvelous thing
- zázračné dítěextremely talented person, especially a child
- géniusextremely talented person, especially a child
- znameníextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Danish vidunder
- vidunderamazing or marvelous thing
Dutch wonder, mirakel
- wonderamazing or marvelous thing
- mirakelamazing or marvelous thing
- wonderkindextremely talented person, especially a child
Finnish ihme, malliesimerkki
- ihmeamazing or marvelous thing
- malliesimerkkiwonderful example of something
- ihmelapsiextremely talented person, especially a child
- enneextraordinary thing seen as an omen
- ennusmerkkiextraordinary thing seen as an omen
French prodige, prodigie
- prodigeamazing or marvelous thing
- prodigieamazing or marvelous thing
- miracleamazing or marvelous thing
- merveilleamazing or marvelous thing
- enfant prodigeextremely talented person, especially a child
- génieextremely talented person, especially a child
- phénomèneextremely talented person, especially a child
- présageextraordinary thing seen as an omen
- augureextraordinary thing seen as an omen
- auspicesextraordinary thing seen as an omen
German Wunder, Wunderkind
- Wunderamazing or marvelous thing
- Wunderkindextremely talented person, especially a child
- Genieextremely talented person, especially a child
- Hochbegabterextremely talented person, especially a child
- Naturtalentextremely talented person, especially a child
- Orakelextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Hungarian csoda, csodagyerek
- csodaamazing or marvelous thing
- csodagyerekextremely talented person, especially a child
Italian prodigio, prodigio
- prodigioamazing or marvelous thing
- prodigioextremely talented person, especially a child
- fenomenoextremely talented person, especially a child
- presagioextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Japanese 驚異, 神童
- 驚異 (kyōi)amazing or marvelous thing
- 神童 (shindō)extremely talented person, especially a child
- 前兆 (zenchō)extraordinary thing seen as an omen
Latin prōdigium, prōdigium
- prōdigiumamazing or marvelous thing
- prōdigiumextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Māori inati, inati
- inatiamazing or marvelous thing
- inatiwonderful example of something
- taniwhaextremely talented person, especially a child
- inatiextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Norwegian vidunderbarn
- vidunderbarnextremely talented person, especially a child
Portuguese prodígio, maravilha
- prodígioamazing or marvelous thing
- maravilhaamazing or marvelous thing
- prodígioextremely talented person, especially a child
- presságioextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Russian чу́до, вундерки́нд
- чу́до (čúdo)amazing or marvelous thing
- вундерки́нд (vunderkínd)extremely talented person, especially a child
- ге́ний (génij)extremely talented person, especially a child
Spanish maravilla, prodigio
- maravillaamazing or marvelous thing
- prodigioamazing or marvelous thing
- portentoamazing or marvelous thing
- cosa extrañaamazing or marvelous thing
- milagroamazing or marvelous thing
- prodigioextremely talented person, especially a child
- fenómenoextremely talented person, especially a child
- genioextremely talented person, especially a child
- niño prodigioextremely talented person, especially a child
- presagioextraordinary thing seen as an omen
- augurioextraordinary thing seen as an omen
- agüeroextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Swedish under, underverk
- underamazing or marvelous thing
- underverkamazing or marvelous thing
- vidunderamazing or marvelous thing
- mirakelamazing or marvelous thing
- underwonderful example of something
- underverkwonderful example of something
- underbarnextremely talented person, especially a child
Turkish mucize, dâhi çocuk
- mucizewonderful example of something
- dâhi çocukextremely talented person, especially a child
- kâhinextraordinary thing seen as an omen
Cite this entry
prodigy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prodigy
“prodigy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prodigy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prodigy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prodigy.
Source: prodigy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.