| 1 | English | forbear | To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | forberen | — |
| 3 | Old English | forberan | to abstain, refrain, restrain, forbear; bear away... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fraberaną | to hold back or keep away ; restrain or refrain ... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fra- | off, away; completely, fully, up |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |