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 Dutch verzeggen (“to deny, forbid”), German Low German verseggen (“to refuse, deny”), German versagen (“to refuse, deny”), Swedish försäga (“to misspeak, say too much”). More at for-, say.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fə(ɹ)ˈseɪ/
• 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
   • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “May. Aegloga Quinta.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC; reprinted as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, The Shepheardes Calender […], London: John C. Nimmo, […], 1890, →OCLC:

     worldly sovenance he must forsay

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

Anagrams

• forays