forfend

verb

for·​fend fȯr-ˈfend 

forfended; forfending; forfends

transitive verb

1

a

archaic : forbid

b

: to ward off : prevent

2

: protect, preserve

Did you know?

Forfend is an unusual word in that its most commonly used sense is considered archaic, meaning it survives in English chiefly in specialized uses. When forfend was first used in the 14th century, it meant “to forbid.” It still does but only in phrases, like “heaven forfend” or “God forfend,” that have an exaggeratedly old-timey ring to them. (The use is also typically humorous and/or ironic.) Put another way, substituting forfend for forbid in any other context would sound strange, as in “students are forfended from using cell phones in the classroom.” Other senses of forfend, including “to protect or preserve” and “to ward off or prevent,” are current, though much less common. The fend part of the word comes from the same Latin source as defend.

Synonyms

• bulwark
• cover
• defend
• fence
• fend
• guard
• keep
• protect
• safeguard
• screen
• secure
• shield
• ward

Examples of forfend in a Sentence

a place of refuge where the settlers could forfend themselves from attack

Recent Examples on the Web

For people who spend too much time debating politics or surfing the internet -- or, heaven forfend, doing both at the same time -- engagement with the real world can present something of a ... —Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 23 May 2024

Heaven forfend! —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 3 July 2020

In the United States, instead of building more houses inside the old circle (or, heaven forfend, even closer together and near the places people go), people have built houses even further away. —Adam Rogers, Wired, 30 Dec. 2021

But is Twitter outrage (or, heaven forfend, praise) a useful metric for audience engagement? —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 May 2021

And of course the president says oh, my gosh, heaven forfend that poor Omarosa would have to go. —Fox News, 14 Aug. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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