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Forbear
Definitions
- 1 Alternative spelling of forebear. alt-of, alternative
"[1906] 2004, Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville, Ethel Wedgwood tr. Sirs, I am quite sure that the King of England's forbears rightly and justly lost the conquered lands that I hold …"
- 2 a person from whom you are descended wordnet
- 1 To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from. transitive
"Mr. Sheriff, I desire that this manacling may be forborn: if you please to clap a guard of a hundred men upon us, I shall pay for it. This is not only a disgrace to me, but in general to all soldiers; which doth more trouble me than the loss of my life."
- 2 resist doing something wordnet
- 3 To refrain from proceeding; to pause; to delay. intransitive
"Por[tia]. I pray you tarrie, pauſe a day or two Before you hazard, for in chooſing wrong I looſe your companie ; therefore forbeare a while, /[...]"
- 4 refrain from doing wordnet
- 5 To refuse; to decline; to withsay; to unheed. intransitive
"And thou ſhalt ſpeake my words vnto them, whether they will heare or whether they will forbeare, for they are moſt rebellious."
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- 6 To control oneself when provoked. intransitive
"The kindest and the happiest pair Will find occasion to forbear."
Etymology
From Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan (“to forbear, abstain from, refrain; suffer, endure, tolerate, humor; restrain; do without”), from Proto-Germanic *fraberaną (“to hold back, endure”); equivalent to for- + bear. Cognate with Old Frisian forbera (“to forfeit”), Middle High German verbërn (“to have not; abstain; refrain from; avoid”) (Cimbrian forbèeran), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (frabairan, “to endure”).
See also for "forbear"
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