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Forestall
Definitions
- 1 An ambush; plot; an interception; waylaying; rescue. historical, obsolete
- 2 Something situated or placed in front.
- 1 To prevent, delay or hinder something by taking precautionary or anticipatory measures; to avert. transitive
"Fred forestalled disaster by his prompt action."
- 2 keep from happening or arising; make impossible wordnet
- 3 To preclude or bar from happening, render impossible. transitive
"In French, an aspired h forestalls elision."
- 4 act in advance of; deal with ahead of time wordnet
- 5 To purchase the complete supply of a good, particularly foodstuffs, in order to charge a monopoly price. archaic
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- 6 To anticipate, to act foreseeingly.
"What need a man forestall his date of grief, / And run to meet what he would most avoid?"
- 7 To deprive (with of).
"All the better; may / This night forestall him of the coming day!"
- 8 To obstruct or stop up, as a road; to stop the passage of a highway; to intercept on the road, as goods on the way to market. UK
Etymology
From Middle English forestallen (“to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay”), from forestalle (“a forestalling, interception”), from Old English foresteall (“intervention, hindrance of justice, ambush”), from fore- (“ahead of, before”) + steall (“position”), equivalent to fore- + stall.
From Middle English forstal, from Old English foresteall (“an intervention, hindrance (of justice), ambush, assault, offence of waylaying on the highway, fine for such an offence, resistance, opposition”), equivalent to fore- + stall.
See also for "forestall"
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