"act of predicting; a prophecy, a declaration concerning future events," 1560s, from French prédiction and directly from Medieval Latin predictionem (nominative predictio), from Latin praedictio "a foretelling," noun of action from past-participle stem of praedicere "assert, proclaim, declare publicly" (see predict).

Prediction may or may not be an inspired act : it is most commonly used of the foretelling of events in accordance with knowledge gained through scientific investigations or practical experience .... [Century Dictionary]

"quality or character of being predicted or foretold," 1820, from predict + -able. Related: Predictably, which in the sense "as could have been predicted" is attested from 1914.

"prophetic, indicative of something future," 1650s, from Late Latin praedictivus "foretelling," from praedict-, stem of praedicere "foretell, advise, give notice" (see predict).

"one who or that which predicts or foretells," 1650s, from Medieval Latin praedictor, agent noun from praedicere "foretell, advise, give notice" (see predict). Statistical sense is from 1950.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to show," also "pronounce solemnly," "also in derivatives referring to the directing of words or objects" [Watkins].

It might form all or part of: abdicate; abdication; addict; adjudge; apodictic; avenge; benediction; betoken; condition; contradict; contradiction; dedicate; deictic; deixis; dictate; diction; dictionary; dictum; digit; disk; ditto; ditty; edict; Eurydice; index; indicate; indication; indict; indiction; indictive; indite; interdict; judge; judicial; juridical; jurisdiction; malediction; malison; paradigm; policy (n.2) "written insurance agreement;" preach; predicament; predicate; predict; prejudice; revenge; soi-disant; syndic; teach; tetchy; theodicy; toe; token; valediction; vendetta; verdict; veridical; vindicate; vindication; voir dire.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit dic- "point out, show;" Greek deiknynai "to show, to prove," dikē "custom, usage;" Latin dicere "speak, tell, say," digitus "finger," Old High German zeigon, German zeigen "to show," Old English teon "to accuse," tæcan "to teach."

word-forming element meaning "before," from Old French pre- and Medieval Latin pre-, both from Latin prae (adverb and preposition) "before in time or place," from PIE *peri- (source also of Oscan prai, Umbrian pre, Sanskrit pare "thereupon," Greek parai "at," Gaulish are- "at, before," Lithuanian prie "at," Old Church Slavonic pri "at," Gothic faura, Old English fore "before"), extended form of root *per- (1) "forward," hence "beyond, in front of, before."

The Latin word was active in forming verbs. Also see prae-. Sometimes in Middle English muddled with words in pro- or per-.