In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his familyās pot filled with coffee.
FORFEND
debar, forefend, forfend, obviate, deflect, avert, head off, stave off, fend off, avoid, ward off
(verb) prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; āLetās avoid a confrontationā; āhead off a confrontationā; āavert a strikeā
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
forfend (third-person singular simple present forfends, present participle forfending, simple past and past participle forfended)
(dated) To prohibit; to forbid; to avert.
Usage notes
• This word is dated and becoming obsolete. Mostly used now in set expressions such as heaven forfend.
Anagrams
• 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
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
29 March 2025
THOUGHTLESS
(adjective) without care or thought for others; āthe thoughtless saying of a great princess on being informed that the people had no bread; āLet them eat cakeāā
Coffee Trivia
