Forestallingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. To act in advance to prevent an event or occurrence from happening; to take preemptive measures that impede a future situation; to intervene early in order to hinder a potential problem's development
2. Engaging in proactive actions designed to obstruct something undesirable from unfolding; creating obstacles that may disrupt anticipated outcomes; attempting to mitigate risks before they materialize
3. Taking steps beforehand to avert an anticipated issue or delay; making efforts to stop an expected development through early intervention; acting to limit future complications or obstacles

Etymology: "Forestallingly" is simply "forestalling" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached. "Forestalling" is the present participle of "forestall," and its own history is the more interesting part: the verb originally meant to buy up goods before they reached the open market, so that the seller could charge inflated prices. Forestalling in this sense was an offence under medieval English law, and the verb's sense of getting ahead of someone or something to block them later grew out of that practice of intercepting goods on the road before they reached the market. Adding "-ly" to a participle like this produces an adverb describing the manner of an action, so "forestallingly" describes doing something in a way that anticipates and blocks an outcome before it occurs. The word is a plain formation from existing English parts rather than a borrowing, and it is rare in ordinary use.

Synonyms: preventively, anticipatorily, preemptively, proactively, ahead of time