prognostication (ˌ)präg-ˌnä-stə-ˈkā-shən noun
1. a sign of something about to happen
2. a statement made about the future
3. knowledge of the future (usually said to be obtained from a divine source)
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The word prognostication has appeared in 16 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on April 22 in “Elon Musk Predicts Tesla Driverless Taxi Fleet Next Year” by Neal E. Boudette:
Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, has made plenty of bold predictions. They don’t always come true.
On Monday, Mr. Musk said the company was on the cusp of making cars that could drive themselves safely on any road. He also promised that the company would begin operating a fleet of driverless “robo taxis” by the end of next year.
… Mr. Musk’s lofty prognostications about self-driving cars and the new business of robo-taxis came as investors are bracing for troubling news from the electric carmaker. On Wednesday, Tesla is expected to report a loss for the first quarter amid slumping sales. The company previously said it delivered 63,000 cars in the quarter, down 31 percent from the fourth quarter, despite beginning sales of its Model 3 sedan in Europe and China.
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