debar, forefend, forfend, obviate, deflect, avert, head off, stave off, fend off, avoid, ward off
(verb) prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; “Let’s avoid a confrontation”; “head off a confrontation”; “avert a strike”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
forfend (third-person singular simple present forfends, present participle forfending, simple past and past participle forfended)
(dated) To prohibit; to forbid; to avert.
• This word is dated and becoming obsolete. Mostly used now in set expressions such as heaven forfend.
• nroffed
Source: Wiktionary
For*fend", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + fend. See Forewend.]
Definition: To prohibit; to forbid; to avert. [Archaic] Which peril heaven forefend! Shak.
Note: This is etymologically the preferable spelling.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
19 April 2025
(verb) grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; “did you catch that allusion?”; “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”; “don’t catch your meaning”; “did you get it?”; “She didn’t get the joke”; “I just don’t get him”
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
