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forfend. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
forfend, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
forfend in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
forfend you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From Middle English forfenden (“to ward off, protect, prohibit”), equivalent to for- + fend.
Pronunciation
Verb
forfend (third-person singular simple present forfends, present participle forfending, simple past and past participle forfended)
- (archaic) To prohibit; to forbid; to avert.
1594, Thomas Lodge, The Wounds of Civil War, act 4, scene 1, page 54:Clown: … You would know where Lord Anthonie is? I perceiue you. Shall I ſay he is in yond farme houſe? I deceiue you. Shall I tell you this wine is for him? the gods forfend, and ſo I end. Go fellow fighters theres a bob for ye.
- 2008, Lew, short circuit operators, [email protected]
- What? Multi-posting? Usenet Gods forfend!
2018, Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, page 271:People have long given thought to the causes of danger and how they might be forfended.
Usage notes
- Common usage of this word is predominantly confined to set expressions such as heaven forfend.
Derived terms
Translations
Anagrams