forsling

F4O1R1S1L1I1N1G2

verb

To swallow down; gobble up.

OriginMiddle English [Term?] ← Middle Dutch verslinden ← Old Dutch *farslindan →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

verbforsling (third-person singular simple present forslings, present participle forslinging, simple past forslung or forslong, past participle forslung or forslong or forslongen)

present singular third person forslings · participle present forslinging · past forslung · past forslong · participle past forslung · participle past forslong · participle past forslongen

  1. archaictransitiveTo swallow down; gobble up.

    He hath waited by night and day in such wise that he hath stolen so many of my children that of fifteen I have but four, in such wise hath this thief forslongen them.

    1924, William John Thoms, Henry Morley, Roger Bacon, Early English Prose Romances

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
gobble up

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sel-“to sneak, creep”
  2. Proto-Germanic*fraslindaną“to devour”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*fraslindan
  4. Old Dutch*farslindan“to devour”
  5. Middle Dutchverslinden
  6. Middle English[Term?]
  7. Englishforsling

From Middle English [Term?], from Middle Dutch verslinden, from Old Dutch *farslindan (“to devour”), from Proto-West Germanic *fraslindan, from Proto-Germanic *fraslindaną (“to devour”), equivalent to for- + Proto-Germanic *slindaną (“to devour”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“to sneak, creep”). Cognate with Dutch verslinden (“to devour”), Middle Low German vorslinden (“to devour, eat up”), German verschlinden, verschlingen (“to devour, swallow up”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍃𐌻𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (fraslindan, “to gobble, swallow, devour”).

More words from Middle English, Middle Dutch, Old Dutch

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

forsling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forsling

MLA

“forsling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forsling. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forsling,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forsling.

Source: forsling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.