forestall etymology

Etymology:

• Middle English: fore-stallen, from Old English forestælan

Meaning:

• To prevent or delay (something) by taking action beforehand.
• To anticipate and obstruct (an action or event).

Origin:

The word "forestall" is derived from the Old English prefix "fore-" (meaning "before") and the verb "stælan" (meaning "to steal" or "to take").

In its original sense, "forestall" referred to the act of secretly acquiring goods or preventing others from doing so by seizing them beforehand. This meaning is still evident in the modern legal term "forestalling," which refers to the illegal practice of hoarding or controlling a commodity in order to raise its price.

Over time, the meaning of "forestall" has broadened to include any action taken to prevent or delay something else. This usage is now the most common, as in the examples below:

• "The government has taken steps to forestall a recession."
• "The police intervened to forestall a potential riot."

forestall relate terms

• stall

  Etymology Middle English stallen staulen staken Old English stæl stælan to ste

• stallion

  Etymology The word stallion is derived from the Old English word stallion which is

• install

  Etymology Origin Latin installare meaning to set up or to establish Components

• stallage

  Etymology Old French estalage Late Latin stallaticum Medieval Latin stallum booth

• fore

  Etymology Middle English fore from Old English fore in front of before in time or p

• apostle

  Etymology From Old English apostol noun apostolig adjective from Late Latin apost

• catastaltic

  Etymology The word catastaltic is derived from the Greek words kata κατά m

• diastole

  Etymology From Greek diastolē διαστολή meaning extension dilation M

• epistle

  Etymology Greek ἐπιστολή epistolē Latin epistula Meaning A letter es

• forestall

  Etymology Middle English fore stallen from Old English forestælan Meaning To pr

• Gestalt

  Etymology German Gestalt Latin Gestaltus meaning form shape configuration Gr

• install

  Etymology Origin Latin installare meaning to set up or to establish Components

• installment

  Etymology The word installment comes from the Middle French word installement which

• pedestal

  Etymology The word pedestal comes from the Latin word pedestālis which means of o

• peristalsis

  Etymology Greek peristaltikos Latin peristalticus Meaning Wave like muscular

• peristaltic

  Etymology The word peristaltic is derived from the Greek words peri περί m

• stale

  Etymology Middle English stale from Old French estale from Latin status meaning

• stalk

  Etymology Stalk originated from the Old English word stealcian which means to appr

• stall

  Etymology Middle English stallen staulen staken Old English stæl stælan to ste

• stall

  Etymology Middle English stallen staulen staken Old English stæl stælan to ste

• stall

  Etymology Middle English stallen staulen staken Old English stæl stælan to ste

• stallage

  Etymology Old French estalage Late Latin stallaticum Medieval Latin stallum booth

• stallion

  Etymology The word stallion is derived from the Old English word stallion which is

• stele

  Etymology The word stele comes from the Greek word στήλη stēlē meaning up

• stell

  Etymology Stell from Latin stella meaning star Meaning A small bright point o

• still

  Etymology The word still has multiple etymological origins Old English stille me

• stilt

  Etymology The word stilt originates from the Middle English word stilte which in tur

• stole

  Etymology Old English stelan from Proto Germanic stelanan from Proto Indo Europea

• stolon

  Etymology Latin stolō offshoot sucker Meaning A slender horizontal stem th

• stout

  Etymology The word stout comes from the Old English word stut meaning strong or f

• stultify

  Etymology of stultify The word stultify has its roots in the Latin word stultus wh

• systaltic

  Etymology Greek systole contraction ikos relating to Meaning Pertaining

• systole

  Etymology Greek systolé a contraction a shortening Derived from the verb systéll

• prevent

  Etymology Prevent comes from the Middle French prévenir from the Latin praevenire a

• foreclose

  Etymology The word foreclose comes from the Middle English word forclosen which in t

• forbid

  Etymology Old English forbeodan from Proto West Germanic farbaudan from Proto Ger

• anticipate

  Etymology Latin anticipare from ante before capere to take Literally meaning

• post

  Etymology From Middle English post from Anglo Norman and Old French post from Latin p

• spot

  Etymology The word spot traces its origins back to Old English OE specifically to t

• stop

  Etymology The word stop comes from the Middle English word stoppen which itself deri

• obstruct

  Etymology The word obstruct comes from the Latin word obstruere which means to bloc

• obviate

  Etymology Latin obviare meaning to go to meet to oppose Meaning To make someth

• scotch

  Etymology The word scotch has multiple origins and meanings 1 Scottish Origin Old