forsay

English

Etymology

From Middle English forsayen (“to renounce”), from Old English forseċġan (“to accuse, accuse falsely, slander, speak about, discourse on”), equivalent to for- +‎ say. Cognate with German versagen (“to refuse, deny”), Swedish försäga (“to misspeak, say too much”). More at for-, say.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪ

Verb

forsay (third-person singular simple present forsays, present participle forsaying, simple past and past participle forsaid)

1. (archaic) to forbid; to renounce

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)

2. (archaic) to deny, gainsay
3. (archaic) to forsake

Anagrams

• forays