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Word of the Day : April 18, 2021
forfend \for-FEND\ verb
Definition
1 a archaic : forbid
b : to ward off : prevent
2 : protect, preserve
Did You Know?
When forfend was first used in the 14th century, it meant "to forbid." The term is still used with this meaning in phrases like "heaven forfend" or "God forfend," but it bears an antiquated patina communicated in our dictionary with an "archaic" label. Other uses of the word are current, though somewhat uncommon. Forfend comes from Middle English forfenden, from for- (meaning "so as to involve prohibition, exclusion, omission, failure, neglect, or refusal") and fenden, a variant of defenden, meaning "to defend."
Aired April 18, 2021
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