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heaven forfend. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
heaven forfend, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
heaven forfend in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From heaven (“abode of God”) + forfend (“to avert; to forbid, prohibit”).
Pronunciation
Interjection
heaven forfend
- (dated or humorous) Used to express that one hopes that something does not happen: God forbid, heaven forbid.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:God forbid
1990, Sam Simon, John Swartzwelder, “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”, in The Simpsons:Advisor: The voters now see you as imperial and god-like. Burns: Hot dog! Advisor: But there's a down-side to it. The latest polls indicate you're in danger of losing touch with the common man. Burns: Oh, dear! Heaven forfend!
2007 November 23, Scott Murray, “Why England’s failure is good news for, er, England”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 6 October 2014:Now there's an opportunity to employ a man who, heaven forfend, actually thinks about tactics and team balance.
Usage notes
Translations
used to express that one hopes that something does not happen