forfend

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /fɔrˈfɛnd/ UK /fɔːˈfɛnd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to ward off or avert; to forbid

Heaven forfend that we should ever face such a disaster again.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to ward off or avert; to... avert ward forbid prevent prohibit protect defend

Opposites

allow permit invite

Word family

Related forms fend defend fence

Etymology

From Middle English forfenden, combining the intensive prefix for- with fend (an aphetic form of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere 'to ward off'). It means to avert or forbid, now chiefly archaic ('heaven forfend').

for- Old English defendere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# forfend

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /fɔrˈfɛnd/
**IPA (UK):** /fɔːˈfɛnd/

## Meanings
1. to ward off or avert; to forbid

## Examples
- Heaven forfend that we should ever face such a disaster again.

## Synonyms
- avert
- ward
- forbid
- prevent
- prohibit
- protect
- defend

## Antonyms
- allow
- permit
- invite

## Related Forms
- fend
- defend
- fence

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: for-
- Root: defendere

## Etymology
From Middle English forfenden, combining the intensive prefix for- with fend (an aphetic form of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere 'to ward off'). It means to avert or forbid, now chiefly archaic ('heaven forfend').

## AI Etymology
Forfend comes from Middle English forfenden, combining the intensive prefix for- with fend (an aphetic form of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere 'to ward off'). It means to avert or forbid, now chiefly archaic ('heaven forfend'). The development is chiefly a borrowing or learned continuation, carrying an older form and meaning into English rather than building the word from a purely native base. In present use, it is used as a verb meaning "to ward off or avert; to forbid", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as fend, defend, and fence, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Old English for- and Latin defendere, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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