forstand

• forestand

From Middle English forstanden, from Old English forstandan (“to defend, help, protect, withstand, prevent, hinder, resist, oppose, benefit, avail, understand, signify, be equal to”), from Proto-Germanic *frastandaną (“to understand, oppose”), equivalent to for- +‎ stand. Cognate with West Frisian ferstean (“to understand”), Saterland Frisian ferstounde (“to understand”), Dutch verstaan (“to understand”), German verstehen (“to understand”), Norwegian Bokmål forstå (“to comprehend, understand”), Swedish förstå (“to comprehend, understand”).

forstand (third-person singular simple present forstands, present participle forstanding, simple past and past participle forstood)

1. (transitive) To stand against; stand in front of so as to bar the way; block; oppose; withstand.
   • 1576, George Whetstone, “The Ortchard of Repentance: […]”, in The Rocke of Regard, Diuided into Foure Parts. [...], Imprinted at London: [By H. Middleton] for Robert Waley, OCLC 837515946; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke of Regard, Diuided into Foure Parts. [...] (Illustrations of Early English Poetry; vol. 2, no. 2), London: Privately printed, [1867?], OCLC 706027473, page 291:

     And ſure, although it was invented to eaſe his mynde of griefe, there be a number of caveats therein to forewarne other young gentlemen to foreſtand with good government their folowing yl fortunes; […]

   • 1849, John Mitchell Kemble, The Saxons in England:

     "As he would more of them had not wise God, Wierd forstood him, and the man's courage."

   • 1895, The Medical News:

     Hemophilia is a contraindication for vaginal hysterectomy, unless you have the time to build your patient up in order to forestand the shock.

   • 1963, Fredericus Theodorus Visser, An historical syntax of the English language: Volume 1, Part 3:

     A mighty angel there forstood them.

2. (transitive, Britain dialectal) To understand; comprehend.
   • 1878, Samuel Smiles, Robert Dick: baker, of Thurso, geologist and botanist:

     How can I forstand your Professors, when they dinna forstand themselves."

• Wright, The English dialect dictionary, forstand.

• Stanford, stand for

From Middle Low German vorstant, compare with forstå (“understand”) and the pair stå/stand.

forstand c (singular definite forstanden, not used in plural form)

1. sanity, sense, ability to reason, wiseness

• “forstand” in Den Danske Ordbog

From Middle Low German vorstant, related to forstå; compare with German Verstand.

forstand m (definite singular forstanden, uncountable)

1. intellect, mind, reason
2. meaning, sense

• “forstand” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “forstand” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

From Middle Low German vorstant, related to forstå.

forstand m (definite singular forstanden, uncountable)

1. intellect, mind, reason
2. meaning, sense

• “forstand” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Middle English forstanden, from Old English forstandan (“to defend, understand”), from Proto-Germanic *frastandaną (“to understand, oppose”), equivalent to for- +‎ stand.

tae forstand

1. To withstand, resist