forestall · verb1
- Old English · inherited fromforesteall“intervention, hindrance of justice, ambush”
- Middle English · inherited fromforestallen“to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay”
- English todayforestall
From Middle English forestallen (“to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay”), from forestalle (“a forestalling, interception”), from Old English foresteall (“intervention, hindrance of justice, ambush”), from fore- (“ahead of, before”) + steall (“position”), equivalent to fore- + stall.
forestall · noun2
- Old English · inherited fromforesteall“an intervention, hindrance (of justice), ambush, assault, offence of waylaying on the highway, fine for such an offence, resistance, opposition”
- Middle English · inherited fromforstal
- English todayforestall
From Middle English forstal, from Old English foresteall (“an intervention, hindrance (of justice), ambush, assault, offence of waylaying on the highway, fine for such an offence, resistance, opposition”), equivalent to fore- + stall.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.