English
forwarn
Forwarn comes from Old English forwærnan ‘to hinder, prohibit, prevent, repel, refuse,…’, from Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘off, away’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to close, cover, protect, defend’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-‘to close, cover, protect, defend’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fra-‘off, away’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forwærnan‘to hinder, prohibit, prevent, repel, refuse, repudiate, deny, withhold, oppose’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forwernen
- Englishearliest quotation 1690forwarn
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-‘to close, cover, protect, defend’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fra-‘off, away’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forwærnan‘to hinder, prohibit, prevent, repel, refuse, repudiate, deny, withhold, oppose’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forwernen
- Englishearliest quotation 1690forwarn
Earliest quotation: 1690, Thomas Shadwell: “Oh Cousin this wicked Duoena, this Grycta suspects the…”
Formed from for- + warn ‘to deny, refuse, forbid’
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 *wer- ‘to be aware’
Proto-Germanic *warnōną ‘to warn’
Old English warnian ‘to take heed’
Middle English warnen
English warn
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to close, cover, protect, defend’
wear, guard, con, regard, garage, reward, ward, verge, optic, weir, worm, garrison, beware, reverence, panorama, malware, revere, ware, vermin, wry, vermilion, prosaic, guaranty, milliner, diorama, vermicelli, vermeil, vermiculite, varmint, 66 more
through Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘off, away’
Today it means
verb To prohibit; forbid; deny (right, access to, etc.).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wer- / forwarn