prognosis

plural prognoses

1. A forecast of the future course or outcome of a situation based on what is presently known; a prediction.First known use mid 17th c.

   If free speech is the lifeblood of democracy then the fate and the prognosis of the latter are that of the former.

   2008, Paul Fairfield, “Conclusion and Prognosis”, in Why Democracy?, Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, →ISBN, page 123

   4 more examples

   I may say here that it is one of the evidences of original character, that it is apt to baffle all prognosis from a mere observer's standpoint.

   1879, Bret Harte, “‘A Tourist from Injianny’”, in An Heiress of Red Dog and Other Tales, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 54

   Despite the positive, constructive aspects of the Beeching Report, the gloomy prognoses on B.R. which issued from so many commentators prior to its publication have left a widespread impression that the railway is an outdated concept.

   1963 September, “The Potential of a Railway”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 145

   The prognosis was made by taking into consideration the facts that the analog concrete had already achieved its ultimate strength by the period of 1500 days while concrete being predicted was to gain its strength limit by 1.25 time faster, that is by the period of 100 days.

   2000, N. V. Vegerova, “Predicting Strength Properties of Fine Cementless Fly Ash – Furnace Bottom Ash Concrete”, in G[uy] R. Woolley, J. J. J. M. Goumans, P. J. Wainwright, editors, Waste Materials in Construction: Science and Engineering of Recycling for Environmental Protection (Waste Management Series; 1), Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Pergamon, →ISBN, page 19

   We are, however, not concerned at all with the questions of whether Esperanto should be adopted as one or even the language of the European Union or the world, or whether it should be a compulsory subject in schools, nor with prognoses about whether the planned language will grow or decline, be ousted by competing planned languages, or any other questions related to phenomena which are not strictly (socio)linguistic in nature.

   2022, Sabine Fiedler, Cyril Robert Brosch, “The aim of this book” (chapter 4), in Esperanto – Lingua Franca and Language Community, John Benjamins Publishing Company, →DOI, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, page 20

2. medicineA forecast of the future course or outcome of a disease or disorder based on current medical knowledge.First known use mid 17th c.

   Once the patient has worked through the stage of grieving at diagnosis, adjustment may be successful as therapy is begun and a prognosis is determined.

   1986, Constance S. Kirkpatrick, Nurses’ Guide to Cancer Care, Totowa, N.J.: Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 132

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   Hovvbeit it is to be noted (vvhich vve hinted in the prognoſis) that the ſvvelling doth often appear critically and profitably, and thereby the ſick are recovered of their diſeaſes; […]

   1655, Lazarus Riverius [i.e., Lazare Rivière], “Of a Pestilential Feaver”, in Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole, and William Rowland, transl., The Practice of Physick, […], London: […] Peter Cole, […], →OCLC, 17th book (Of Feavers), section III (Of Pestilential Feavers), page 637

   The prognosis [of measles] is unfavourable when the child is very young, when the eruption appears before the third day, or when it suddenly disappears. […] The prognosis is favourable when the gastro-pulmonary symptoms are slight, the progress of the disease is regular, and when the skin is moist after the appearance of the exanthema.

   1848, John Neill, Francis Gurney Smith, “Rubeola (Measles)”, in A Handbook of the Practice of Medicine: Being a Portion of an Analytical Compend of the Various Branches of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa.: Lea & Blanchard, →OCLC, page 33