foresee

English

Etymology

From Middle English foreseen, forseen, from Old English foresēon; equivalent to fore- +‎ see. Similar formations in Dutch voorzien, German vorsehen, Latin prōvideō, (whence provide and purvey), Ancient Greek πρόοιδα (próoida), Polish przewidzieć, Russian провидеть (providetʹ).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈsi/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɔːˈsiː/

• Audio (US)

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• Hyphenation: fore‧see
• Rhymes: -iː

Verb

foresee (third-person singular simple present foresees, present participle foreseeing, simple past foresaw, past participle foreseen)

1. To be able to see beforehand: to anticipate; predict.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Proverbs 22:3:

     A prudent man foreſeeth the euill, and hideth himſelfe: but the ſimple paſſe on, and are puniſhed.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 8:

     Ariel. My Maſter through his Art foreſees the danger
     That you (his friend) are in, and ſends me forth
     (For elſe his proiect dies) to keepe them liuing.

   • 1838, Charles Dickens, The Lamplighter:

     "I foresee in this," he says, "the breaking up of our profession."

2. (obsolete) To provide.
   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Vicissitude of Things”, in The Essayes , 3rd edition, London: Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

     Great shoals of people, which go on to populate, without foreseeing means of life.

Derived terms

• foreseeable

Translations

See also

• forsee
• unforeseen