Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


For-

For-

.
[AS.
for-
; akin to D. & G.
ver
-, OHG.
fir
-, Icel.
for
-, Goth.
fra
-, cf. Skr.
parā-
away, Gr. [GREEK] beside, and E.
far
, adj. Cf.
Fret
to rub.]
A prefix to verbs, having usually the force of a negative or privative. It often implies also loss, detriment, or destruction, and sometimes it is intensive, meaning utterly, quite thoroughly, as in forbathe.

Definition 2024


for-

for-

See also: for, FOR, fór, fôr, för, för-, and Appendix:Variations of "for"

English

Prefix

for-

  1. (no longer productive) Meaning "far", "away"; "from", "out" e.g. forbid, forget, forsay; forbear, fordeem.
  2. (no longer productive) Meaning "completely", "to the fullest extent" e.g. forbreak; superseded by combinations with "up" in senses where no upward movement is involved, e.g. forgive = give up (one's offenses), forgather = "gather up", forbeat = "beat up", etc.
  3. (dialectal) Very; excessively.
    forolded (very old)
    fornigh (very near)

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_words_prefixed_with_for-'>English words prefixed with for-</a>

See also


French

Alternative forms

  • four-, fre-

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French for-, partially from Late Latin forīs, taken as an adaptation of the Late Latin adverb forīs (outdoors, outside) and used to calque Frankish words prefixed by *fur- (for-) (compare Late Latin foris facere (to do wrong) = Old High German firwirken (to do wrong), Late Latin forisfactus (evil deed) = Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐍃 (frawaurhts, evil deed), Late Latin foris consiliare (to mislead) = Old High German firleitan (to mislead), etc.), and partially continuing from Proto-Germanic *fur-, *fer-, *fra- (away, from, off), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-, *per-, *pr-. See for-. Related to French fors (except), French hors (outside).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɔʁ/

Prefix

for-

  1. (nonproductive) prefix used to express error, exclusion, or inadequacy.

Related terms


Icelandic

Prefix

for-

  1. previous, before, first, pre-
    for- + síða (page)forsíða (front page)
  2. (emphatic) extremely
  3. negative meaning

Synonyms

  • (before): fyrir-

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Icelandic_words_prefixed_with_for-'>Icelandic words prefixed with for-</a>

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *uɸor-.

Prefix

for-

  1. over, superior, super-
  2. outer, external
  3. great, extreme

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Irish_words_prefixed_with_for-'>Irish words prefixed with for-</a>

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
for- fhor- bhfor-
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References


Norwegian Bokmål

Prefix

for-

  1. previous, before, first, pre-
    for- + side (page)forside (front page)
  2. (emphatic) extremely
  3. negative meaning

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Norwegian_Bokm%C3%A5l_words_prefixed_with_for-'>Norwegian Bokmål words prefixed with for-</a>

Synonyms


Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fer-, *fur-, *fra- (away, far), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-, *per-, *pr- with a variety of meanings including ‘rejection, destruction, prohibition’. Cognate with Old Frisian for-, Old Saxon far-, for-, Dutch ver-, Old High German fir-, far- (German ver-), and, outside Germanic, with Ancient Greek περί (perí), Latin per-, Old Church Slavonic пре- (pre-) (Russian пере- (pere-)).

Pronunciation

Prefix

for-

  1. forming verbs from verbs with various senses especially ‘wrongly, away from, astray, abstention, prohibition, perversion, destruction’
    forwyrcan (to do wrong, sin)
    forstandan (to defend, protect, stand for)
    forweorpan (to throw away, cast away, reject)
    forstelan (to steal away, deprive)
    fordēman (to condemn)
    forlǣdan (to mislead)
  2. used to create intensified adjectives and verbs from other adjectives and verbs, with the sense of completely or fully. Compare Modern English use of up
    forblāwan (to blow up, inflate)
    forstoppian (to stop up, block, occlude)
    forworen (decayed, decrepit)
    forbrocen (broken down, broken up)
  3. very
    forlȳtel (very little)

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Old_English_words_prefixed_with_for-'>Old English words prefixed with for-</a>

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *uɸor-. Prefix form of for.

Prefix

for-

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Old_Irish_words_prefixed_with_for-'>Old Irish words prefixed with for-</a>

Old Saxon

Prefix

for-

  1. Alternative form of far-