Etymology

forspeak

for·speak
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Today it means: To injure or cause bad luck through immoderate praise or flattery; to affect with the curse of an evil tongue, which brings ill luck upon all objects of its praise. Full definition →

First used 15th–19th c.Middle English forspeken ← Old English forspecan
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forspeak · verb1

  1. Old English · inherited fromforspecan
  2. Middle English · inherited fromforspeken“to bewitch”
  3. English todayforspeak

From Middle English forspeken (“to bewitch”), from Old English forspecan, forsprecan (“to speak in vain; to speak amiss; to denounce; to deny”); analysable as for- + speak.

forspeak · verb2

See forespeak.

First known use, by meaning

  • 15th–19th c. To forbid, to prohibit; to oppose.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.