foresee

From Middle English foreseen, forseen, from Old English foresēon; equivalent to fore- +‎ see. Similar formations in Dutch voorzien, German vorsehen, Latin prōvideō.

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• (US) IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈsi/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɔːˈsiː/
• Rhymes: -iː

foresee (third-person singular simple present foresees, present participle foreseeing, simple past foresaw, past participle foreseen)

1. To be able to see beforehand: to anticipate; predict.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Proverbs 22:3:

     A prudent man foreſeeth the euill, and hideth himſelfe: but the ſimple paſſe on, and are puniſhed.

   • 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene i], page 8:

     Ariel. My Maſter through his Art foreſees the danger / That you (his friend) are in, and ſends me forth / (For elſe his proiect dies) to keepe them liuing.

   • 1838, Charles Dickens, The Lamplighter:

     "I foresee in this," he says, "the breaking up of our profession."

2. (obsolete) To provide.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Francis Bacon

     Great shoals of people, which go on to populate, without foreseeing means of life.

• forsee
• unforeseen