English
forestall
Forestall comes from Middle English forestallen ‘to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay’, from Old English steall ‘position, location’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-‘to stand’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stallaz‘standing, position, stall, stable’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150steall‘position, location’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150foresteall‘intervention, hindrance of justice, ambush’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forestallen‘to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611forestall
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-‘to stand’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stallaz‘standing, position, stall, stable’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150steall‘position, location’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150foresteall‘intervention, hindrance of justice, ambush’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forestallen‘to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611forestall
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Tragedie of Cymbeline: “All the better; may / This night forestall him…”
Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before, formerly’
Proto-Germanic *fura- ‘before, in front of, for’
Proto-West Germanic *forē- ‘before, in front of, fore-, pre-’
English fore-
Proto-Indo-European *stel- ‘to place, put, post, stand’
Proto-Germanic *stallaz ‘standing, position, stall, stable’
Old English steall ‘standing place, position’
Middle English stall
English stall
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’
state, system, post, stay, stand, rest, distance, assistant, constitution, stood, consistent, assistance, stadium, instance, assist, contest, stable, stem, establishment, establish, stability, instant, destination, substance, testimony, destiny, distant, insist, consist, persistent, static, resist, prostitution, stud, prostitute, persist, stationary, stool, substitution, armistice, 157 more
through Proto-Germanic *stallaz ‘standing, position, stall, stable’
Another origin of forestall
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-‘to stand’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stallaz‘standing, position, stall, stable’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150steall‘position, location’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150foresteall‘an intervention, hindrance (of justice), ambush, assault’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forstal
- Englishtodayforestall
Today it means
verb To prevent, delay or hinder something by taking precautionary or anticipatory measures; to avert.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- / forestall