Take the words destiny and destination. I bet you could explain how their meanings are different. But could you explain how they're similar? 

One way to explain it is that they both relate to determining or deciding something: a what (destiny) or a where (destination). And today's word, predestine, basically means to determine a what ahead of time. In other words, to predestine is to determine or decide beforehand, as if with mystical powers.

If you can predestine people to certain fates, then you're some kind of god or wizard or Lord of the Rings or whatnot. So let's add predestine to our collection of words that describe religious or magical powers:

1. If, like a god, you're om__p___nt, you are all-powerful: able to control the world and everything in it.

2. If you're cl___v__ant, you can see with superhuman clarity, like what will happen in the future, what others are thinking, or what's happening in faraway places.

3. If you have an ep_ph__ic vision, you're suddenly seeing the appearance of a god, or more loosely, you have a sudden sense of clarity, insight, inspiration, or understanding. 

4.  And if you have a t_l_sm_n, from a Greek word for a religious ceremony, you have an object that gives you magical powers, especially for protection or for good luck.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)   

You can trace words like "destiny," "destination," and "predestine" back to the Latin destinare, "to establish, or to make firm." This destinare breaks down further into de-, "totally or formally," and stinare, "to stand firm." It makes sense when you think of "destining" things as standing them firmly and fully in place.

So "predestine" has bits that literally mean "to stand (things) firmly and fully in place before they're actually there."

That's how we still use it today: to predestine someone to a certain fate is to decide ahead of time what that person's fate will be, as if in a magical or godlike way.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Verb: "He believes he's predestined to win;" "Look, no one is predestined to be anything."

Other forms: 

The other verb forms are "predestined" and "predestining."

The nouns are "predestiny" and "predestination." Although you could use either, it's more common to use "predestiny" to talk about an individual person's fate and to use "predestination" to talk about the general idea of a god having pre-planned everything for everybody.

how to use it:

"Predestine" is a formal, semi-common, easy-to-understand word that tends to sound solemn, even religious. Pick it when you want to sound serious or mock-serious.

You might talk about people predestined to do certain things ("She believes she's predestined to become a great novelist"), or about people predestined for certain things in life ("She believes she's predestined for fame").

Notice how we pretty much never say who or what is doing the predestining. A more direct sentence structure would be like: "She believes God predestined her to become a great novelist." But we just don't typically say it like that; we leave the God part implied and stick with the passive voice: "She believes she's predestined for greatness."

Of course, you don't have to be so literal. You might get abstract and talk about times when you feel as if you're predestined for something, or it seems like you're predestined to do something. You might be quite sincere ("I feel as if I was predestined to teach writing") or just joking around ("It seems I was predestined for bliss today; I found $10 in my coat pocket and then I got to pull straight through a parking spot instead of backing out").

examples:

"Once my aunt found a freckle on her chin, at a spot that the almanac said predestined her for unhappiness."
 — Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior, 1976

"This little butcher shop in rural West Virginia is turning out world-class burgers... That this burger exists in Capon Bridge is something of an accident: The Pacellis really weren't supposed to be here at all, see. Though, like so much of their story, it seems predestined."
   — Emily Heil, Washington Post, 5 November 2019

has this page helped you understand "predestine"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "predestine" without saying "destine" or "predetermine."

try it out:

Here's Justin Porter describing the video game "Mirror's Edge Catalyst:" 

"[It] catapults players into a future in which privacy is nonexistent and large corporations vie for control over data, the ultimate commodity. In this world, runners, who are thieves and couriers, make a living trading, moving and stealing data. The game's protagonist is Faith, a runner who accesses valuable data by climbing and vaulting from building to building."

The game's creator adds, "She is not a predestined hero; she’s just doing what she thinks is right."

I think that makes for an awesome storyline. Nothing was predestined here: people just did the best they could.

With that in mind as an example, talk about another story (in any form: video game, novel, TV, movie, etc.) where the hero either is or isn't predestined for greatness. How does this predestiny or lack thereof affect how you feel about this hero?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "That's Not a Thing, That's Two Things."

I describe it; you name it! For example, if I give you "It's that thing where Steve Harvey hosts two groups competing as vassals in medieval Europe," then you give me "Family Feudalism." To see the answer, scroll to the bottom.

Try this today:

It's that thing where your Tía Pepa and Tío Félix sing in great detail about their refusal to discuss ugly, angular, concrete buildings.

review this word:

1. The opposite of PREDESTINY could be

A. HANDOUT or CHARITY.
B. DAMNATION or BANISHMENT.
C. FREE WILL or SELF-DETERMINATION.

2. In Salon, Adam Kirsch wrote: "To us, [F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway] are canonical names, predestined _____ Library of America cursive."

A. by
B. of
C. for

Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. C From the game: That's "We Don't Talk About Brutalism." (Or, "We Don't Talk About Brutalist Architecture.")

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.