Meanings
- archaicBecause.
Being desired to name some other persons for whom he made shoes; says, he made shoes for madam Loftus, (and named several others) and added, that he had custom enough, for that he made shoes for the troop.
1813, Thomas Bayly Howell, “The Trial in Ejectment between Campbell Craig, Lessee of James Annesley, esq. and others, Plaintiff; and the Right Hon. Richard Earl of Anglesea, Defendant, A.D. 1743”, in A Complete Collection of State Trials, volume 17, page 11851 more example
At this his relations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that what he had said to them was true, but because they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and they hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed.
1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's ProgressSynonyms: as, given that, since
Synonyms & antonyms
conjunctionBecause.
Origin
- Old Englishfor þon
- Middle Englishfor that
- Englishfor that
From Middle English for that, from an alteration of Old English for þon (þe), with the instrumental demonstrative pronoun þon replaced by nominative/accusative þæt due to levelling of the Old English declensional system in Middle English. Equivalent to for (“because of”) + that. Compare forthan, a parallel descendant of the same construction without the declensional levelling.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
for that. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/for%20that
“for that.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/for%20that. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “for that,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/for%20that.
Source: for that on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.