English
forgery
Forgery comes from Old French forgier, from Latin fabricārī ‘to frame, construct, fabricate’, and ultimately from faber ‘workman, smith’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaber‘workman, smith’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfabrica‘workshop’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfabricārī‘to frame, construct, fabricate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400forgier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forgen‘to forge (shape metal)’by way of Anglo-Norman forger
- Englishearliest quotation 1892forgery
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaber‘workman, smith’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfabrica‘workshop’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfabricārī‘to frame, construct, fabricate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400forgier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forgen‘to forge (shape metal)’by way of Anglo-Norman forger
- Englishearliest quotation 1892forgery
Earliest quotation: 1892, Walter Besant, Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?: “Such a scandal as the prosecution of a brother…”
Formed from forge + -ery
Latin faber ‘workman in hard materials, smith’
Latin fabrica ‘workshop’
Old French forge ‘forge (workshop)’
Middle English forge ‘forge (workshop)’
English forge
The story
Recorded since 1574; from forge + -ery, from Middle English forgen, via Anglo-Norman forger, from Old French forgier, from Latin fabricārī (‘to frame, construct, fabricate’), itself from fabrica (‘workshop; construction’), from faber (‘workman, smith’).
Linked words
through Latin faber ‘workman, smith’
through Latin fabrica ‘workshop’
Today it means
noun The act of forging metal into shape.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin faber / forgery