Forfenden

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaic term meaning to prevent or keep away something harmful, or to ward off a misfortune before it happens
2. Old-fashioned sense of guarding against or averting an evil or danger by taking action in advance
3. Obsolete verb describing the act of warding off, forbidding, or keeping misfortune from befalling someone

Etymology: "Forfend" descends from Old English "forfendan," built from the prefix "for-," which intensifies or sends away, and "fendan," "to defend." The second half is the surprising part: "fend" is itself a clipped form of "defend," with the opening syllable worn away over time. So "forfend" is essentially "defend" with an extra prefix. The verb meant to ward off harm or danger, and over the centuries its sense narrowed toward preventing or forbidding something. Today it survives almost only in the phrase "God forfend," meaning "God forbid," which is why many speakers assume it is an invented expression. "Forfenden" is the Middle English form of the infinitive, reflecting the verb's medieval spelling before the modern form settled.