Etymology

forestay

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Today it means: A stay that extends from the top of the foremast to the bow or bowsprit of a sailing ship Full definition →

Middle English forstay
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forestay · noun, verb1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromforstay
  2. English todayforestay

From Middle English forstay, forstey, vorstey, equivalent to fore- + stay (“a stay, rope”).

forestay · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pr̥h₂éy
  4. Proto-Germanic*furai
  5. Proto-Germanic*furai-
  6. Proto-West Germanic*forē-
  7. Old Englishfore-
  8. Middle Englishfore-
  9. Englishfore-
  10. Englishstay
  11. English todayforestay

From fore- + stay (“to hold off, postpone, delay”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.