different between omniscience vs prescience

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin omniscientia (“all-knowledge”), from Latin omni- (“all”), and scient from the Latin scientia (“knowledge”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?m?n???ns/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?m?n???ns/

Noun

omniscience (countable and uncountable, plural omnisciences)

1. The capacity to know everything.
   • 1848,, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 15:

     If, a few pages back, the present writer claimed the privilege of peeping into Miss Amelia Sedley's bedroom, and understanding with the omniscience the novelist all the gentle pains and passions which were tossing upon that innocent pillow, why should he not declare himself to be Rebecca's confidante too, master of her secrets, and seal-keeper of that young woman's conscience?

   Many people believe in God's omniscience.

Related terms

• omniscient

Translations

Further reading

• omniscience in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• omniscience in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• omniscience at OneLook Dictionary Search
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “omniscience”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

French

Etymology

Medieval Latin omniscientia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m.ni.sj??s/
• Homophone: omnisciences
• Hyphenation: om?ni?science

Noun

omniscience f (plural omnisciences)

1. omniscience

Further reading

• “omniscience” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Alternative forms

• præscience (archaic)

Etymology

From French prescience, from Latin praescientia.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??s?.?ns/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p????ns/

Noun

prescience (usually uncountable, plural presciences)

1. Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight; foreknowledge.
   • 1754, Jonathan Edwards, An Inquiry into the Modern Prevailing Notions Respecting that Freedom of the Will which is supposed to be Essential to Moral Agency

     God's certain prescience of the volitions of moral agents

Translations