Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “foresayen” come from?

foresayen (Middle English) comes from Old English foreseċġan, from Proto-Germanic furaisagjaną, from Proto-Germanic furai-, from Proto-Germanic furai, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “foresayen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishforeseċġanto foresay, foretell, predict, announce, mention...
2Proto-Germanicfuraisagjanąto say beforehand; to predict
3Proto-Germanicfurai-before, in front of; fore-, pre-
4Proto-Germanicfuraibefore, in front of; before, in front
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “foresayen”

  • foresay
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →