"F" Word Origins

forest

Medieval Latin

From Old French forest, from Medieval Latin forestis, likely linked to Latin foris ("outside") — originally land outside enclosed royal parks.

forestage

Origin

From Middle English forstage, equivalent to fore- + stage.

forestall

Origin

From Middle English forestallen (“to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay”), from forestalle (“a forestalling, interception”), from Old English foresteall (“intervention, hindrance of justice, ambush”), from fore- (“ahead of, before”) + steall (“position”), equivalent to fore- + stall.

forestalling

Origin

From Middle English forstallyng, forstallynge, equivalent to forestall + -ing.

forestanding

Origin

From fore- + standing.

forestay

Origin

From Middle English forstay, forstey, vorstey, equivalent to fore- + stay (“a stay, rope”).

forester

Old French

From Old French forestier, from forest + -ier.

forestland

Origin

From forest + land.

forestory

Origin

From fore- + story.

forestry

Old French

From Old French foresterie, from forest.

foretale

Origin

From fore- + tale; compare foretell.

foretaste

Origin

From Middle English fortaste, equivalent to fore- + taste (noun).

foretell

Middle English

From Middle English foretellen — fore- + tell.

forethought

Origin

From Middle English forethouht, forethoght, from Old English *foreþōht (“forethought”); equivalent to fore- + thought. See also forethink.

foretime

Origin

1530s, from fore- + time.

foretoken

Origin

From Middle English foretokne, fortacne, from Old English foretācn, foretācen (“foretoken, presage, prognostic, prodigy, sign, wonder”), equivalent to fore- + token. Cognate with Dutch voorteken, German Low German Vörteken, German Vorzeichen.

foretop

Origin

From Middle English fore-top, for-top, equivalent to fore- + top.

forever

Origin · 1600

A fusion of the two words "for ever," first written as one word by the late 17th century.

forevermore

Origin

A blend of forever and evermore.

foreverness

Origin

From forever + -ness.

foreview

Origin

From fore- + view.

forewarning

Origin

From Middle English forwarning, equivalent to forewarn + -ing or fore- + warning. Cognate with German Vorwarnung (“forewarning”), Swedish förvarning (“forewarning”).

foreword

Origin

Morphologically fore- + word. Calque of German Vorwort, itself a calque of Latin praefatio (“preface”). Cognate with German Low German Vörwoord (“foreword”), Dutch voorwoord (“foreword”), West Frisian foarwurd (“foreword”), Danish forord (“preface; proviso”), Swedish förord (“foreword”). Compare also Old English forword, foreword (“proviso; condition”).

forfare

Origin

From Middle English forfaren, from Old English forfaran (“to pass away, perish, lose, destroy, ruin, cause to perish, intercept, obstruct”), from Proto-Germanic *frafaraną, equivalent to for- + fare. Cognate with Scots forfar (“to go amiss, decay, perish”), Old Frisian forfara (“to die”), German verfahren (“to use up, spend, lose one's way”), Old Danish forfare (“to perish”).

forfeit

Old French

From Old French forfait ("crime"), from forfaire ("to transgress"). The meaning shifted over time from the crime itself to the penalty for it.

forfeiture

Old French

From Old French forfaiture, related to forfeit.

forfend

Origin

From Middle English forfenden (“to ward off, protect, prohibit”), equivalent to for- + fend.

forgab

Origin

From Middle English forgabben (“to mock”), equivalent to for- (“destructively, harmfully”) + gab.

forgather

Origin

From Scots forgather, foregather (“to gather up, assemble”), equivalent to for- + gather. Cognate with Dutch vergaderen (“to assemble”), German vergattern (“to assemble; to assign duty”).

forge

Latin

From Old French forge, ultimately from Latin fabrica ("workshop"), the same root that gives us "fabric."

forger

Old French

From Old French forgiere, related to forge.

forgery

Latin

From forge + -ery, ultimately from Latin fabricārī ("to construct, fabricate").

forget

Old English

From Old English forġietan, from for- + get — literally "to give up (a memory)."

forgetful

Origin

From forget + -ful.

forgetfulness

Origin

From forgetful + -ness.

forgetness

Origin

Possibly continuing Middle English forgetenes (“forgetfulness”); or recreated in modern times from forget + -ness, modelled after forgiveness. Compare West Frisian ferjitnis (“forgetfulness”), Dutch vergetenis (“forgetfulness”).

forgettable

Origin

From forget + -able.

forgivable

Origin

From forgive + -able. Partially displaced non-native Middle English pardonable (“capable of being pardoned, forgivable”) from Old French pardonable (“forgivable”).

forgive

Old English

From Old English forġiefan, literally "to give up (a grievance)" — for- + give.

forgiveness

Old English

From Old English forġiefnes, from forgive + -ness.

forgo

Old English

From Old English forgān ("to go away, forgo") — for- + go.

forgotten

Old English

From Old English forġeten, the past participle of forget.

fork

Latin

From Old English forca, from Latin furca ("pitchfork, forked stake").

forklift

Origin

From fork + lift.

forlet

Origin

From Middle English forleten (“forsake, reject, renounce, omit, lose, forgive”), from Old English forlǣtan (“to leave”), from Proto-Germanic *fralētaną (“to leave, dismiss”), equivalent to for- + let. Cognate with Scots forleet (“to forsake, abandon”), Saterland Frisian ferläite (“to forlet, abandon”), West Frisian forlitte (“to forlet”), Dutch verlaten (“to desert, abandon”), German verlassen (“to leave”), Swedish förlåta (“to excuse, forgive, remit”).

forlorn

Old English

From Old English forloren, the past participle of forlēosan ("to lose") — related to "lorn," meaning lost or abandoned.

forlornness

Origin

From Middle English forlorennesse, from Old English forlorenes (“state of being forlorn, perdition, destruction”), equivalent to forlorn + -ness.

form

Latin

From Old French forme, from Latin fōrma ("shape, figure, mold").