Etymograph

English

forethink

Forethink comes from Old English fōreþenċan ‘to premeditate, consider, be mindful’, from þenċan ‘to think’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teng-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*teng-‘to think, feel, perceive, know’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tong-éye-tireconstructedcausative of *teng-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þankijaną‘to perceive, to think’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þankijan‘to think’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150þenċan‘to think’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150fōreþenċan‘to premeditate, consider, be mindful’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forethynken
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1597forethink

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*teng-‘to think, feel, perceive, know’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tong-éye-tireconstructedcausative of *teng-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þankijaną‘to perceive, to think’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þankijan‘to think’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150þenċan‘to think’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150fōreþenċan‘to premeditate, consider, be mindful’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forethynken
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1597forethink

Earliest quotation: c. 1597, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]: “[…]and the soul of every man / Prophetically doth…”

Formed from fore- + think

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 *teng- ‘to think’

Proto-Germanic *þankijaną ‘to think’

Proto-West Germanic *þankijan ‘to think’

Old English þenċan ‘to think’

Middle English thinken ‘to think’

English think

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *teng- ‘to think, feel, perceive, know’

thank, tent, dunk, thoughtless, tinge, tincture, methinks, 18 more

through Proto-Germanic *þankijaną ‘to perceive, to think’

thought, thinking, 10 more

Today it means

verb To plan (something) in advance; think, consider, or contrive beforehand; prognosticate.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *teng- / forethink

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