Dictionary

forbear en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /fɔːˈbɛə/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio
• /fɔɹˈbɛɚ/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro- Proto-Germanic *fra- Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Germanic *beraną Proto-Germanic *fraberaną Old English forberan Middle English forberen English forbear From Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan (“to forbear, abstain from, refrain; suffer, endure, tolerate, humor; restrain; do without”), from Proto-Germanic *fraberaną (“to hold back, endure”); equivalent to for- + bear. Cognate with Old Frisian forbera (“to forfeit”), Middle High German verbërn (“to have not; abstain; refrain from; avoid”) (Cimbrian forbèeran), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (frabairan, “to endure”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from.
   • Mr. Sheriff, I desire that this manacling may be forborn: if you please to clap a guard of a hundred men upon us, I shall pay for it. This is not only a disgrace to me, but in general to all soldiers; which doth more trouble me than the loss of my life. 1649, “185. The Trial of Colonel John Morris, Governor of Pontefract Castle; at the Assizes at the Castle of York, before Mr. John Puleston, and Mr. Baron Thorpe, Justices of Assize, for High Treason: […]”, in [William] Cobbett, editor, Cobbett’s Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes and Misdemeanours from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, volume IV, London: Printed by Thomas Curson Hansard, […]; published by R. Bagshaw [et al.], published 1809, →OCLC, column 1266:
   • Poor Arabs wondered why I had no mare; I forbore to puzzle them by incomprehensible talk of hardening myself, or confess I would rather walk than ride for sparing of animals: 1926, T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York: Anchor, published 1991, page 170:
   • The earth shall soon dissolve like snow the sun forbear to shine 1779, John Newton, “Amazing Grace”:
   • For his part, Tharoor cannot forbear to praise the achievements of men like Arthur Cotton, whose Godavari Delta irrigation scheme remains much as he left it in 1852. 2017 September 7, Ferdinand Mount, “Umbrageousness”, in London Review of Books:
2. (intransitive) To refrain from proceeding; to pause; to delay.
   • Por[tia]. I pray you tarrie, pauſe a day or two Before you hazard, for in chooſing wrong I looſe your companie ; therefore forbeare a while, /[...] c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 173:
   • Then the king of Iſrael gathered the prophets together about foure hundred men, and ſaid vnto them, Shall I goe againſt Ramoth Gilead to battell, or ſhall I forbeare? [...] 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings 22:6:
3. (intransitive) To refuse; to decline; to withsay; to unheed.
   • And thou ſhalt ſpeake my words vnto them, whether they will heare or whether they will forbeare, for they are moſt rebellious. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 2:7:
4. (intransitive) To control oneself when provoked.
   • The kindest and the happiest pair Will find occasion to forbear. 1782, William Cowper, “Mutual Forbearance”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

forbearer · forbearant · forbearable · forbearingly · forbearance · forbearing

Translations (47)

nl zich inhouden (to control oneself when provoked) · it ignorare (to give no heed) · it fare a meno di (to keep away from) · fi välttää (to keep away from) · fr éviter (to keep away from) · fi estyä (to refrain from proceeding) · fr se retenir (to control oneself when provoked) · it rifiutare (to give no heed) · it astenersi da (to keep away from) · it evitare (to keep away from) · ru быть терпели́вым (to control oneself when provoked) · fi kieltäytyä (to give no heed) · eu ez egin (to keep away from) · fr ajourner (to refrain from proceeding) · hu tartózkodik (to keep away from) · it aggiornare (to refrain from proceeding) · bg въздържам се (to refrain from proceeding) · it frenare (to refrain from proceeding) · es retenerse (to control oneself when provoked) · fr refréner (to refrain from proceeding) · it tenersi alla larga da (to keep away from) · it trattenersi da (to control oneself when provoked) · fr décliner (to give no heed) · fr réfréner (to refrain from proceeding) · fi estää (to keep away from) · ru избега́ть (to keep away from) · got 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to give no heed) · fi pidättyä (tekemästä jotakin) (to control oneself when provoked) · cs zdržet se (to keep away from) · ru контроли́ровать себя́ (to control oneself when provoked) · bg контролирам се (to control oneself when provoked) · fr s'abstenir (to keep away from) · ru возде́рживаться (to refrain from proceeding) · bg страня от (to keep away from) · nl zich onthouden (to keep away from) · it negare (to give no heed) · it trattenere (to refrain from proceeding) · it mantenere la calma (to control oneself when provoked) · fi hillitä itsensä (to control oneself when provoked) · cs vzdát (to refrain from proceeding) · bg отбягвам (to keep away from) · fr refuser (to give no heed) · es abstenerse (to keep away from) · it declinare (to give no heed) · cs vyhnout se (to keep away from) · fr garder son sang froid (to control oneself when provoked) · ru проявля́ть терпе́ние (to control oneself when provoked)

forbear en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɔː.bɛə/ (UK)
• /ˈfɔɹ.bɛɚ/ (US)

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative spelling of forebear.
   alt of forebear
   • One does not take one’s family name therefrom, and again the position of the mother in that group is determined through her father and his male forbears in turn; this too is a patrilineal group. [1936] 2004, Raymond William Firth, We the Tikopia http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=Eiji-EnuhXUC&pg=PA345&lpg=PA345&sig=aB2VV0fcWv6lkQPQatQQbDhlm_8
   • Beginning with the bald declaration “I think I was cold in the womb,” the speaker in “The Forbears” then decides that his brother (who died soon after birth) must also have been cold in the womb, like his grandfather John and the forbears who antedated John: 1997, H. L. Hix, Understanding W. S. Merwin:
   • [1906] 2004, Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville, Ethel Wedgwood tr. Sirs, I am quite sure that the King of England's forbears rightly and justly lost the conquered lands that I hold …

Forms