English Explanatory Dictionary

forsay

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. to forbid; to renounce
  2. to deny, gainsay
  3. to forsake

Pronunciation

/fəˈseɪ/ /fəɹˈseɪ/

Word forms

forsay forsays forsaying forsaid

Etymology

From Middle English forsayen (“to renounce”), from Old English forseċġan (“to accuse, accuse falsely, slander, speak about, discourse on”), equivalent to for- + say. Cognate Dutch verzeggen (“to deny, forbid”), German Low German verseggen (“to refuse, deny”), German versagen (“to refuse, deny”), Swedish försäga (“to misspeak, say too much”). More at for-, say.

Synonyms

abjure disavow forswear deny disclaim disown forsay renounce repudiate wash one's hands of
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