forewarned is forearmed

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Possibly, although not certainly, from the Latin saying praemonitus praemunitus.[1]

Proverb[edit]

forewarned is forearmed

  1. Advance awareness of a situation, especially a risky one, prepares one to deal with it.
    • 1863, Charles Reade, chapter 4, in Hard Cash:
      [W]hatever a young gentleman of that age says to you, he says to many other ladies; but your experience is not equal to your sense; so profit by mine . . . forewarned is forearmed.
    • 1885, G. A. Henty, chapter 4, in Saint George for England:
      Sometimes, they say, it is wiser to remain in ignorance; at other times forewarned is forearmed.
    • c. 1903, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Why Mr. Cropper Changed His Mind:
      "Well, Miss Maxwell, I think it only fair to tell you that you may have trouble with those boys when they do come. Forewarned is forearmed, you know."

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Praemonitus Praemunitus was the title of a 1920 edition of the notorious anti-Semitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. See also www.phrases.org.uk which states: "There's no evidence to show that the English proverb is merely a translation of the Latin though. The two sayings could easily have originated independently."
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=forewarned_is_forearmed&oldid=78209422"