forstand

English

Alternative forms

• forestand

Etymology

From Middle English forstanden, from Old English forstandan (“to defend, help, protect, withstand, prevent, hinder, resist, oppose, benefit, avail, understand, signify, be equal to”), from Proto-West Germanic *frastandan (“to understand, oppose”), equivalent to for- +‎ stand. Cognate with West Frisian ferstean (“to understand”), Saterland Frisian ferstounde (“to understand”), Dutch verstaan (“to understand”), German verstehen (“to understand”). Compare also Norwegian Bokmål forstå (“to comprehend, understand”), Swedish förstå (“to comprehend, understand”).

Verb

forstand (third-person singular simple present forstands, present participle forstanding, simple past and past participle forstood)

1. (transitive) To stand against; stand in front of so as to bar the way; block; oppose; withstand.
   • 1576, George Whetstone, “The Ortchard of Repentance: ”, in The Rocke of Regard, , London: for Robert Waley, →OCLC; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke of Regard,  (Illustrations of Early English Poetry; vol. 2, no. 2), London: Privately printed, , →OCLC, page 291:

     And ſure, although it was invented to eaſe his mynde of griefe, there be a number of caveats therein to forewarne other young gentlemen to foreſtand with good government their folowing yl fortunes; […]

   • 1849, John Mitchell Kemble, The Saxons in England:

     "As he would more of them had not wise God, Wierd forstood him, and the man's courage."

   • 1895, The Medical News:

     Hemophilia is a contraindication for vaginal hysterectomy, unless you have the time to build your patient up in order to forestand the shock.

   • 1963, Fredericus Theodorus Visser, An historical syntax of the English language: Volume 1, Part 3:

     A mighty angel there forstood them.

2. (transitive, UK dialectal) To understand; comprehend.
   • 1878, Samuel Smiles, Robert Dick: baker, of Thurso, geologist and botanist:

     How can I forstand your Professors, when they dinna forstand themselves.

References

• Wright, The English dialect dictionary, forstand.

Anagrams

• Stanford, stand for

Danish

Etymology

A verbal noun of forstå (“to understand”), equivalent to for- (“for-”) +‎ stand (“standing”). Borrowed from Middle Low German vorstant, cognate with German Verstand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

forstand c (singular definite forstanden, not used in plural form)

1. intellect, intelligence, reason (the ability to understand things)
2. mind (mental sanity)
3. meaning, sense (way of understanding a thing)

Declension

Further reading

• “forstand” in Den Danske Ordbog

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German vorstant, related to forstå; compare with German Verstand.

Noun

forstand m (definite singular forstanden, uncountable)

1. intellect, mind, reason
2. meaning, sense

References

• “forstand” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “forstand” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German vorstant, related to forstå.

Noun

forstand m (definite singular forstanden, uncountable)

1. intellect, mind, reason
2. meaning, sense

References

• “forstand” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English forstanden, from Old English forstandan (“to defend, understand”), from Proto-West Germanic *frastandan (“to understand, oppose”), equivalent to for- +‎ stand.

Verb

tae forstand

1. To withstand, resist
2. To understand