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forspeak

verb
/fɔːˈspiːk/UK/fɔɹˈspik/US

Etymology

From Middle English forspeken (“to bewitch”), from Old English forspecan, forsprecan (“to speak in vain; to speak amiss; to denounce; to deny”); analysable as for- + speak.

  1. inherited from forspecan
  2. inherited from forspeken

Definitions

  1. To injure or cause bad luck through immoderate praise or flattery

    To injure or cause bad luck through immoderate praise or flattery; to affect with the curse of an evil tongue, which brings ill luck upon all objects of its praise.

    • "I take ye a' to witness, gude people," said Mortheugh, "that she threatens me wi' mischief, and forespeaks me. If onything but gude happens to me or my fiddle this night, I'll make it the blackest night's job she ever stirred in. [...]"

  2. To bewitch, to charm.

    • How are my powres fore-spoke? what strange distaste is this?

  3. To forbid, to prohibit

    To forbid, to prohibit; to oppose.

    • Thou haſt foreſpoke my being in theſe warres, / And ſay'ſt, it is not fit.
  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. To say bad things about

      To say bad things about; to slander.

      • A mischiefe take thy tatling tongue, the Raven answerde tho. / Thy vaine forspeaking moves me not. And so he forth did go [...]

    2. Alternative spelling of forespeak.

The neighborhood

Derived

forspoken

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for forspeak. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA