forethink

English

Etymology

From Middle English forethynken, from Old English fōreþenċan (to premeditate, consider, be mindful), corresponding to fore- + think. Cognate with Dutch voordenken, German vordenken (to think ahead).

Verb

forethink (third-person singular simple present forethinks, present participle forethinking, simple past and past participle forethought)

  1. (transitive, rare) To plan (something) in advance; think, consider, or contrive beforehand; prognosticate.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)
  2. (transitive, rare) To think about beforehand; to anticipate.
    • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act III Scene ii:
      [] and the soul of every man / Prophetically doth forethink thy fall.
    • 1635, John Donne, Song:
      Let not thy divining heart / Forethinke me any ill [...].
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.