Archaic form meaning to serve as a harbinger; to announce or signal the arrival of something, or to provide lodging or shelter.
From Old French 'herbergier' meaning to lodge or shelter. The verb form 'harbinge' developed from the noun 'harbinger' through back-formation and was used in Middle English. It relates to the concept of advance announcement and preparation for arrival.
The verb 'harbinge' has largely disappeared from English, but its descendant noun 'harbinger' survives in phrases like 'harbinger of spring'—it's fascinating how one form thrived while the other faded, yet both once described the practical medieval job of arranging lodging for traveling nobility.
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