forstand
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom 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-West Germanic *frastandan (“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”). Compare also Norwegian Bokmål forstå (“to comprehend, understand”), Swedish förstå (“to comprehend, understand”).
Verb
editforstand (third-person singular simple present forstands, present participle forstanding, simple past and past participle forstood)
- (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, […], London: […] [H. Middleton] for Robert Waley, →OCLC; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke of Regard, […] (Illustrations of Early English Poetry; vol. 2, no. 2), London: Privately printed, [1867?], →OCLC, 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.
- (transitive, UK 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.
References
edit- Wright, The English dialect dictionary, forstand.
Anagrams
editDanish
editEtymology
editA verbal noun of forstå (“to understand”), equivalent to for- (“for-”) + stand (“standing”). Borrowed from Middle Low German vorstant, cognate with German Verstand.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editforstand c (singular definite forstanden, not used in plural form)
- intellect, intelligence, reason (the ability to understand things)
- mind (mental sanity)
- meaning, sense (way of understanding a thing)
Declension
editcommon gender |
Singular | |
---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | |
nominative | forstand | forstanden |
genitive | forstands | forstandens |
Further reading
editNorwegian Bokmål
editEtymology
editFrom Middle Low German vorstant, related to forstå; compare with German Verstand.
Noun
editforstand m (definite singular forstanden, uncountable)
References
edit- “forstand” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
- “forstand” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
Norwegian Nynorsk
editEtymology
editFrom Middle Low German vorstant, related to forstå.
Noun
editforstand m (definite singular forstanden, uncountable)
References
edit- “forstand” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Scots
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English forstanden, from Old English forstandan (“to defend, understand”), from Proto-West Germanic *frastandan (“to understand, oppose”), equivalent to for- + stand.
Verb
edittae forstand
- To withstand, resist
- To understand
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms prefixed with for-
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with quotations
- British English
- English dialectal terms
- Danish terms prefixed with for-
- Danish terms derived from Middle Low German
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- Danish common-gender nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Middle Low German
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål uncountable nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål masculine nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Middle Low German
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk uncountable nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk masculine nouns
- Scots terms inherited from Middle English
- Scots terms derived from Middle English
- Scots terms inherited from Old English
- Scots terms derived from Old English
- Scots terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Scots terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Scots terms prefixed with for-
- Scots lemmas
- Scots verbs