English
forstand
Forstand comes from Old English forstandan ‘to defend, help, protect, withstand, prevent,…’, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *frastandan.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*frastandan‘to understand, oppose’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forstandan‘to defend, help, protect, withstand, prevent, hinder, resist, oppose, benefit, avail’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forstanden
- Englishearliest quotation 1576forstand
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*frastandan‘to understand, oppose’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forstandan‘to defend, help, protect, withstand, prevent, hinder, resist, oppose, benefit, avail’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forstanden
- Englishearliest quotation 1576forstand
Earliest quotation: 1576, George Whetstone, The Ortchard of Repentance: […]: “And ſure, although it was invented to eaſe his…”
Proto-Indo-European *pro- ‘before, in front of’
Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘off, away’
Proto-West Germanic *fra- ‘forms verbs with the sense of "away from" or…’
English for-
Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’
Proto-Germanic *standaną ‘to stand’
Proto-West Germanic *standan ‘to stand’
Old English standan ‘to stand’
Middle English stonden ‘to stand’
English stand
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *frastandan
Today it means
verb To stand against; stand in front of so as to bar the way; block; oppose; withstand.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *frastandan / forstand