Forde

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A shallow stretch of a river or stream where people or animals can wade across ; to cross a body of water by walking or riding through its shallow part
2. A low, passable point in a river that allows travellers to wade over it ; the act of getting across a stream by wading through its shallows
3. The shallow section of a river where crossing on foot or horseback is possible ; to get over a stream by passing through its shallow water

Etymology: Forde is one of those English words that has survived almost unchanged from Old English, where "ford" (spelled "ford" or "forde" in various dialects) meant a shallow place where a river could be crossed on foot or by animal. The word goes back to a Germanic root shared with German "Furt" and Dutch "voorde," and it belongs to the same family as "fare," "ferry" and "wade" through the broader idea of going across. Crossing a river at a ford was once a practical matter of survival and trade, so place names built on the word are scattered across England, with Oxford being the most famous example: a crossing of the Thames, where cattle and travellers waded over. The spelling "forde" with a final "e" is an older form that persisted in some dialects and in certain surnames, which is why you will still see it in family names and in literary or regional writing. In modern standard English the simpler "ford" has largely replaced it, though the older spelling keeps the word's medieval look.

Synonyms: crossing, shallows