Where does “forspeak” come from?

forspeak (Scots) comes from Middle English forspeken, from Old English forsprecan, from Old English for-, from Proto-Germanic fra-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

forspeak (Scots): To bewitch or cast a spell over, especially using...

Definitions

  1. To bewitch or cast a spell over, especially using...

Ancestry of “forspeak”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishforspekento bewitch
2Old Englishforsprecanto speak against, speak ill of, denounce; to...
3Old Englishfor-wrongly, away from, astray, abstention,...
4Proto-Germanicfra-off, away; completely, fully, up
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tósEvery word from Proto-Indo-European per-Every word from Proto-Indo-European por-
forspeak — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer