## A

### foregoing

aforetime foregone, thereto, paile, seethe, aforetime, headlong dove headlong into tho danger, related headfirst, overlong, lifelong, hitherto, midst

### aforementioned

### aforesaid

: said before; previously mentioned; named earlier

From Old English _

### aft

: in, near, or toward the stern of a ship

From Old English _æftan_ "from behind, farthest back," superlative of _æf_, of "away from, off". This word is now purely nautical

Related: _fore-and-aft_

### allay

: to reduce in intensity, and related senses

> _"Rations had been distributed to allay the townspeople's hunger"_

From Old English _lecgan_ (lay) "to lie down, put down"

### amiss

: wrong; not quite right; 

> _"Something seemed amiss in the way he avoided the question"_

From Old English _missan_ "fail to hit, miss a mark"

### avast

: stop; hold still (especially a ship or crew)  

> _"Avast! Hoist the sails and secure the deck!"_  

From Dutch _houd vast_ “hold fast” adopted into English nautical slang in the 17th century

### awry

: off course; amiss; not as intended  

> _"Something had gone awry with their plans, and the assassination was foiled"_  

From Middle English _wry_ "to contort, twist ones neck, deviate from a straight course," from Old English _wrigian_ "to turn, bend"

## B

### balk

: to hesitate or refuse to proceed; to stop short  

> _"He balked at the suggestion to invest in the risky venture"_  

From Old English _balca_ "ridge, bank', originally "to leave an unplowed ridge when plowing." Extended meaning "omit, intentionally neglect" comes from the notion of a balk as a hindrance or obstruction. The sense of "stop short in one's course" (as a horse confronted with an obstacle) and "to refuse" developed later

### bane

: a cause of great distress, ruin, or death  

> _"Unpaid overtime is the bane of my very existence"_  

From Old English _bana_ "killer, a worker of death" (human, animal, or object), also "the devil." The sense of "that which causes ruin or woe" developed later. 

Related: _baneful_. Not related to _banal_ or _banality_

### bask

: to lie or relax in warmth; to take pleasure from a comfortable situation  

> _"The cat basked in the afternoon sun on the windowsill"_  

Late 14c., from Middle English _basken_ "to wallow" (especially in warm water or blood; of unknown etymology). The sense of "soak up a flood of warmth" was popularized by Shakespeare in _As You Like It_ (1600). 

Related: _basked_; _basking_.

### beck

: to make a gesture to encourage someone to come nearer or follow  

> _"She beckoned him to come closer"_  

From Old English _gebecnian_  "to make a mute sign, signal by a nod or gesture,"  

Related: _beck-and-call_, _beckoned_, _beckoning_

### befall

: (of something bad) to happen to someone; to occur  

> _"A great misfortune befell the town after the storm"_  

From Old English _befeallan_ "to deprive of; fall to, occur to, be assigned to,"  

Related: _befell_; _befalling_  

### bereft

: deprived of something; lacking  

> _"He was bereft of hope after hearing the news"_  

Past-participle adjective from _bereave_. From Old English _bereafian_ "to deprive of, take away by violence, seize, rob," from _be-_ + _reafian_ "rob, plunder." Since the mid-17c., mostly used for loss of life, hope, loved ones, or other immaterial possessions

Related: _bereaved_  

### beget

: to father; to cause to exist; to generate  

> _"Christians believe God begot His only son"_ 

> _"The king hoped to beget an heir to continue his dynasty"_  

From Old English _begietan_, "to get by effort, find, acquire, attain, seize," from _be-_ + _get_. The sense of "to procreate" is generally used of the father.  

Related: _begot_, _begotten_  

### bequeath

: to leave property or possessions to someone by will  

> _"He chose to bequeath his estate to the church"_  

From Old English _becweðan_ "to say, speak to, exhort, blame," also "leave by will," from _be-_ + _cweðan_ "to say." The original sense of "say, utter" died out, leaving the legal sense of "transfer by legacy."  

Related: _bequeathed_, _bequeathing_  

### betide

: to happen; to come to pass (often used in warnings)  

> _"Woe betide anyone who breaks the sacred oath"_  

From Old English _getidan_ "to happen, come to pass," from _be-_ + _tide_ (in its original sense "to happen"). It survives chiefly in the expression "woe betide."  

Related: _betided_, _betiding_  

### bewitch

: to enchant or cast a spell upon, to charm greatly  

> _"She seemed to bewitch everyone with her voice"_  

From _be-_ + Old English _wiccian_ "to enchant, to practice witchcraft." The original sense was literal and often harmful; the figurative sense of "fascinate, charm past resistance" developed later.  

Related: _bewitched_, _bewitching_, _bewitchery_, _bewitchment_  

### bide

: to remain; to stay; to wait patiently  

> _"He chose to bide his time before making a decision"_  

From Old English _bidan_ "to stay, continue, live, remain," also "to trust, rely." It survives chiefly in the expression "bide one's time."  

Related: _bided_, _biding_  

### bind

: to tie or fasten; to hold together; to restrain  

> _"They used rope to bind the prisoner’s hands"_  

From Old English _bindan_ "to tie up with bonds," also "to make captive; cover with dressings and bandages"  

Related: _bound_, _binding_  

### blaze

: on fire, burning strongly

> _"By the time firefighters arrived, the entire complex was left in a blaze"_

From Old English _blæse_ "a torch, firebrand; bright glowing flame"

Related: _ablaze_

### bode

: to be a sign of something to come, especially something bad  

> _"The dark clouds seemed to bode trouble for the travelers"_  

From Old English _bodian_ "to proclaim, announce; foretell," from _boda_ "messenger". A shortened form of _forebode_ "to presage, give warning of," especially of something evil

Related: _boded_, _boding_, _forebode_  

### bore

: to pierce or make a hole with a rotating tool  

> _"They used a drill to bore through the thick wall"_  

From Old English _borian_ "to bore through, perforate"  

Related: _bored_, _boring_  

### bout

: a short, specific period of an activity, illness, or emotion

> _"He suffered a bout of fever during the winter"_  

From Middle English _bught_ "a roundabout way" (obsolete), probably from an unrecorded Old English variant of _byht_ "a bend". The sense evolved from "a circuit of any kind" (as of a plow) to "a round at any kind of exercise" (1570s), "a round at fighting" (1590s), "a fit of drinking" (1660s), and "a fit of illness" (by 1938)

Related: _bouts_  

### briar

: a thorny shrub or prickly plant, especially a wild rose  

> _"The path was overgrown with briars and thorns"_  

From Old English _brer_, "bramble, prickly bush" 

Related: _brier_  

### brunt

: the main force or worst part of something  

> _"She bore the brunt of her insults"_  

"a sharp blow," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse _brundr_ "sexual heat," or _bruna_ "to advance like wildfire" (said of a ship under sail, etc.). The meaning "chief force, the heaviest or worst (of something)," as in _bear the brunt_, is from early 15c

### bulwark

: a defensive wall or structure, a strong protection or support  

> _"The fortress served as a bulwark against invading armies"_  

From Middle Dutch _bulwerke_ or Middle High German _bolwerc_, likely from Germanic _bole_ "plank, tree trunk" + _work_. Thus "bole-work" a construction of logs. Figurative sense "means of defense or security" is from mid-15c. 

## C

### cleave (v.1)

: to split or divide by force  

> _"The lumberjack cleaved the log with a single stroke"_  

From Old English _cleofan, cleven, cliven_ "to split, separate". Past tense _clave_ recorded from the 14c., weak past tense _cleaved_ emerged later; past participle _cloven_ survives in compounds  

Related: _cleaved_, _cloven_, _cleft_  

### cleave (v.2)

: to adhere or cling  

> _"The child cleaved to her mother in fear"_  

From Old English _clifian, cleofian_ "to stick fast, adhere," also figurative. Both verbs of cleave are now largely superseded by _stick_ and _split_  

Related: _cleaved_, _cleaving_  

## D

### dregs

: the sediment or residue left at the bottom of a liquid; the most worthless part of something  

> _"He drank the dregs of the cup without complaint"_  

From Old Norse _dregg_ "sediment"  

Related: _dreggy_  

## E

### earthen

: made of earth or clay  

> _"The village had earthen walls and floors"_  

From early 13c., _earth_ + _-en_ (adjectival suffix). Not attested in Old English (where eorðen meant "of or in the earth"); cognate with Old High German _irdin_, Dutch _aarden_, Gothic _airþeins_. Sense "made of clay" attested from late 14c  

Related: _earthenware_

## F

### foul

: to become dirty, rot, or decay  

> _"The milk began to foul after being left out in the heat"_  

From Old English _ful_ "to become foul, rot, decay," 

Related: _fouled_; _fouling_, _befoul_

### forebear

: an ancestor; a person from whom one is descended  

> _"He honored the traditions of his forebears"_  

From _fore_ "before" + Old English _beon_ "be, exist, come to be"  

### forebode

: a feeling or sense that something bad is about to happen  

> _"A sense of foreboding filled the air before the storm"_  

From _fore-_ + _bode_ (v.), from Old English _bodian_ "to proclaim, announce; foretell"  

Related: _bode_, _forebodingly_  

### forestall

: to prevent or hinder by acting in advance  

> _"Better diplomacy could forestall a war for a few years"_

From Old English _foresteall_ "intervention, hindrance; ambush," literally "a standing before," from _fore-_ "before" + _steall_ "standing place, position"  

Related: _forestalled_, _forestalling_  

### forewarn

: to warn in advance of danger or trouble  

> _"They were forewarned of the approaching storm"_  

From Old English _warnian_ "give notice of impending danger," with _fore-_ "before"  

Related: _forewarned_, _forewarning_  

### forlorn

: abandoned, forsaken; miserable or desolate  

> _"The forlorn child wandered the empty streets"_  

From Old English _forleosan_ "to lose, abandon, let go; destroy, ruin," from _for-_ "completely" + _leosan_ "to lose". Sense of "forsaken, abandoned" is 1530s; that of "wretched, miserable" first recorded 1580s

Related: _forlornly_, _forlornness_  

### forthright

: direct and straightforward; honest and plain  

> _"She gave a forthright answer without hesitation"_  

From Old English _forðriht_ "direct, plain," from _forth_ + _right_  

Related: _forthrightly_, _forthrightness_  

### fraught

: filled or loaded with something, often something undesirable  

> _"The situation was fraught with danger"_  

From Middle English _fraughten_ "to load (a ship) with cargo," from _fraught_ "a load, cargo, lading of a ship," the older form of _freight_. Late 14c. "freighted, laden, loaded, stored with supplies" (of vessels); figurative use became the main sense from early 15c.  

Related: _fraught_  

## G

### gainsay  

: contradict, deny, dispute

> _"Few dared to gainsay the king's decree"_

First attested c. 1300, literally "say against," from gain- (Old English gegn- "against") + say (v.)

## H

### harbinger

: a forerunner; something that signals the approach of another  

> _"The first frost was a harbinger of winter"_  

From Middle English _herberger_ "provider of shelter, innkeeper". The earlier sense was "one sent ahead to arrange lodgings"; the meaning "forerunner" developed later  

Related: _harbingers_  

### headway

: forward movement or progress  

> _"The team made little headway despite their efforts"_  

From Old English _heafodweg_ "main road, highway," from _head_ + _way_. The sense of "motion forward" developed later, likely from nautical use  

### heed

: careful attention; notice or regard  

> _"Take heed of my warning before it is too late"_  

From _heed_ (v.). Now mostly used in set phrases or literary contexts  

### helm (n.1)

: the instrument by which a ship is steered; the position of guidance or control  

> _"The captain took the helm as the storm approached"_  

From Old English _helma_ "rudder; position of guidance, control." In large ships, the helm may refer to the "wheel, tiller, or the entire steering gear"

### helm (n.2)

: a helmet; a protective covering for the head  

> _"The warrior’s helm shielded him from the falling debris"_

From Old English _helm_ "protection, covering; crown, helmet"  

### herald (n.)

: a messenger or forerunner; one who proclaims or announces  

> _"The first crocus is a herald of spring"_  

From late 13c., from Frankish *hariwald* "commander of an army," probably via Middle English _herald_ "chief officer of a tournament or one sent ahead to announce arrivals"  

### herald (v.)

: to proclaim, announce, or signal the coming of something  

> _"The new policy heralded a shift in government priorities"_  

From late 14c., from _herald_ (n.)  

Related: _heraldry_,  _heralded_, _heralding_  

### homegrown

: produced, nurtured, or originating at home; locally cultivated or developed  

> _"They preferred homegrown vegetables over imported ones"_  

> _"The movement had begun with a homegrown ideology"_

From Old English _ham_ "dwelling place, region, country" + _growan_ "to flourish, increase, develop"  

## I

### inroad

: a hostile incursion, raid, or foray  

> _"The army made an inroad into enemy territory"_  

From 1540s, _in-_ "in" + _road_ in the obsolete sense of "riding" (from Old English _rad_ "riding expedition, journey, hostile incursion"). Related to _raid_ (v.)  

## J

### jowl (n.1)

: jaw, jawbone, especially the underjaw  

> _"The boxer struck his opponent squarely on the jowl"_  

From late Middle English _chawl_ (late 14c.), earlier _chafle_ (c. 1200), from late Old English _ceafl_ "jaw; cheek; jawbone; cheekbone"  

### jowl (n.2)

: fold of flesh under the jaw  

> _"The elderly man had prominent jowls that moved when he spoke"_  

From late Middle English _cholle_ "fold of flesh hanging from the neck or jaw, double chin" (c. 1300), perhaps related to Old English _ceole_ "throat;" see jowl (n.1)  

## K

### keel (n.)

: the lowest and principal timber of a ship; the structural backbone of a vessel  

> _"The ship’s keel was carefully inspected before launching"_  

From mid-14c., probably from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Norse _kjölr_ "keel," Danish _kjøl_, Swedish _köl"), originally separate from the sense of "a strong, clumsy boat" (c. 1200, from Middle Dutch _kiel_, cognate with Old English _ceol_ "ship’s prow"). Figurative use "on an even keel" (1560s) refers to stability  

### knell (n.)

: the sound made by a bell rung slowly, often signaling death or disaster  

> _"The mournful knell echoed across the village"_  

> _"Death's knell rang through the halls as the plague spread"_

From Old English _cnyll_ "sound made by a bell when struck or rung slowly," from _knell_ (v.). Compare Dutch _knal_, German _knall_, Danish _knald_, Swedish _knall_  

### knell (v.)

: to toll a bell; to strike or sound slowly  

> _"The church tower knelled for the fallen soldiers"_  

From Old English _cnyllan_ "to toll a bell, strike, knock," cognate with Middle High German _erknellen_ "to resound," Old Norse _knylla_ "to beat, thrash;" probably imitative. Intransitive sense in reference to a bell is from late 14c.  

Related: _knelled_, _knelling_  

## L

### leer (v.)

: to look obliquely, often with a malicious or lustful intent  

> _"He leered at the stranger from across the room"_  

From Old English _hleor_ "the cheek, the face"  

Related: _Leered_, _leering_  

### leer (n.)

: a significant glance, amorous or malign or both  

> _"She caught his leer from across the crowded hall"_  

From the verb _leer_  

### leeway

: sideways drift of a ship from its intended course; deviation; figuratively, freedom to act, flexibility, margin of error

> _"The ship made leeway in the strong crosswind"_  

> _""The pilot allowed some leeway in navigation due to poor visibility"_

> _"The pilot allowed some leeway in navigation due to poor visibility"_

From Old English _hleo_ "shelter, cover, protection" + _weg_ "track, path, course"  

### linchpin 

: peg that holds a wheel on an axle

> _"He has become the linchpin of the city's success"_

From Middle English _lins_ "axle" a corruption of _linspin_ "axle-pin". Now mainly figurative

## M

### mar  

: to deface, disfigure, or impair in form or substance

> _"The scandal marred his otherwise impeccable career"_

From Old English _merran_ "to waste, spoil," also _mierran_; from Middle English _merren_ "to deface, disfigure; impair in form or substance"

### mire (n.)

: deep mud, bog, marsh, swampland

> _"The hikers struggled through the mire after the heavy rains"_

From Old English _mos_ "bog, marsh," cognate with Old Norse _myrr_ "bog, swamp"; from Proto-Germanic *miuzja-; from PIE *meus- "damp"

### mire (v.) 

: to involve in difficulties; to become stuck or bogged down

> _"The negotiations were mired in bureaucracy"_

From noun _mire_ "deep mud, bog, marsh"; figurative sense from c. 1400

### mete  

: to allot, distribute, or apportion by measure

> _"The judge meted out punishment in accordance to the law"_

From Old English _metan_ "to measure, ascertain the dimension or quantity of; measure out; compare; estimate the greatness or value of"; sense of "distribute or apportion by measure" from c. 1300

## N

### nary  

: not any, none

> _"There was nary a soul in the empty village"_

From 1746, alteration of _ne'er a_, short for _never a_; from Old English _næfre_ "not ever, at no time"

### nether  

: down, lower, beneath

> _"The castle’s nether chambers were damp and cold"_

From Old English _niþera, neoþera_ "down, downwards, lower, below, beneath"; also used as an adverb in Old and Middle English. Of countries, "situated on lower ground" (late 14c.). In Middle English and after, used of body parts

Related: _nethermost_

### nigh  

: near, nearby, close together, adjacent

> _"The enemy camp was nigh to the city walls"_

> _"The end was nigh"_

From Middle English _neigh_, from Old English _neah_. The Old English progression was _neah_ → _near_ → _niehsta_, for "nigh - nigher - nighest." Comparative _near_ and superlative _nehst_ gradually evolved into separate words. New comparative and superlative forms _nigher_, _nighest_ developed in the 14c. as phonetic changes obscured the original relationships. Used as an adjective and preposition in Middle English

## O

### oft  

: repeatedly, again and again, many times; frequently

> _"It's oft said to be wary of strangers"_

From Old English _oft_, archaic or poetic except in compounds (e.g., _oft-told_) and replaced by its derivative _often_. Also used as an adjective in Middle English meaning "frequent, repeated"

## U

### undying

: (especially of an emotion) permanent, eternal, never-ending

> _"The king has my undying loyalty"_

Possibly from Old Danish/Norse _døj_, _deyja_ "to die, pass away"

### upside

: advantage;  the positive aspect; favorable outcome of a situation that might otherwise be negative or uncertain

> _"The upside of a train delay, is having an excuse for being late to work"_

From Old English _up_, _uppe_ "to or toward a point or place higher than another". From Old English _side_ "flanks of a person, the long part or aspect of anything".

## W

### waver

: to hesitate, show indecision

> _"She maintained an unwavering commitment to the party's core principles"_

From Middle English _wayveren_ "(of persons, faith) be irresolute, show indecision" probably from a Scandinavian word related to Old Engilsh _wæfr_e "restless, wavering" 
Related: _unwavering_