forswear

English

Alternative forms

• foreswear

Etymology

Middle English forsweren, from Old English forswerian (“to swear falsely”). More at for- +‎ swear.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛə(r)

Verb

forswear (third-person singular simple present forswears, present participle forswearing, simple past forswore, past participle forsworn)

1. (transitive) To renounce or deny something, especially under oath.
   • Shakespeare

     I […] do forswear her.

   • Dryden

     Like innocence, and as serenely bold / As truth, how loudly he forswears thy gold!

2. (intransitive) To commit perjury.

Translations

To renounce or deny something, especially under oath.

• Dutch: ontkennen (nl),afzweren (nl)

• French: nier (fr),démentir (fr),abjurer (fr)
• Russian: отрекаться (ru) (otrekátʼsja) n 

To commit perjury.

• Dutch: meineed plegen (nl)

• French: parjurer (fr)
• Russian: лжесвидетельствовать (ru) (lžesvidételʼstvovatʼ) n , нарушать клятву (narušátʼ kljátvu)