foray

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• forrey (15th century)

Etymology

From Middle English forrayen (“to pillage”), a back-formation of forrayour, forreour, forrier (“raider, pillager”), from Old French forrier, fourrier, a derivative of fuerre (“provender, fodder, straw”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdran (“fodder, feed, sheath”), from Proto-Indo-European *patrom (“fodder”), *pat- (“to feed”), *pāy- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with Old High German fuotar (German Futter (“fodder, feed”)), Old English fōdor, fōþor (“food, fodder, covering, case, basket”), Dutch voeder (“forage, food, feed”), Danish foder (“fodder, feed”), Icelandic fóðr (“fodder, sheath”). More at fodder, food.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈfɒ.ɹeɪ/, SAMPA: /"fQ.reI/
• (US) IPA: /ˈfɔːɹ.eɪ/, SAMPA: /"fO:r.eI/
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Noun

foray (plural forays)

1. A sudden or irregular incursion in border warfare; hence, any irregular incursion for war or spoils; a raid.
2. A brief excursion or attempt especially outside one's accustomed sphere.
   • 2011 September 27, Alistair Magowan, “Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City”, BBC Sport:

     Bastian Schweinsteiger and Muller were among many who should have added the third, and City were limited to rare forays with the excellent Boateng pinching the ball off Aguero and Aleksandar Kolarov shooting wide in stoppage time.

Translations

incursion

Polish: rajd (pl) m., napad (pl) m., wypad (pl) m. Russian: набег (ru) m., нападение (ru) n.

Spanish: incursión (es) m.

Verb

foray (third-person singular simple present forays, present participle foraying, simple past and past participle forayed)

1. (transitive) To scour (an area or place) for food, treasure, booty etc.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book V:

     And thyder shall thou go to forrey that forestes, and with the shall go Sir Gawayne [...].

2. (intransitive) To pillage; to ravage.