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Anglo-Saxon

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for-standan

  • verb
Dictionary links
Grammar
for-standan, fór-standan (l. for-).
Take these together, and add:
Grammar
for-standan, intrans.
to stand in the way of an object (dat.), lie in the line of advance
Show examples

  • Oð þæt sǽfæsten landes æt ende leódmægne forstód,

    • Exod. 128.
to come to a stand, stop
Show examples

  • Gif se man áspíwð þone yfelan wǽtan onweg, þonne forstent se geohsa,

    • Lch. ii. 60, 23.

  • Wiþ þon þe wífum sié forstanden hira mónaþgecynd,

    • 330, 13.
Grammar
for-standan, trans.
with the idea of hindrance,
to stop the advance of, hinder, resist, withstand
Show examples

  • Breóstnet wið ord and wið ecge ingang forstód,

    • B. 1549.

  • Uton forstandan hí (the soul) foran mid gefeohte,

    • Hml. Th. ii. 336, 7.

  • Tó forstondanne

    resistendum,

    • Lk. p. 5, 8.
to stop passage through or along, block a door, a way for a person (dat.)
Show examples

  • Se biscop mid Crístene folce forstód cirican dura á[gean] ... ðǽm kásere,

    • Shrn. 58, 7.

  • Seó leó forstód him þá duru,

    • Hml. S. 35, 267.

  • Ongan se fæder wyrnan hire and wolde forstandan þone weg þæs écan lifes

    ei pater ad viam vitae resistere conatus est,

    • Gr. D. 222, 22.
to stop a person (dat.) doing something
Show examples

  • Hí mec willað oðfergan ... Ic him þæt forstonde

    they want to carry me off ... I stop them doing that,

    • Rä. 17, 8.

  • Hí woldon feore beorgan ... him þæt engel forstód,

    • An. 1542
      • :
    • Gen. 2748
      • :
    • Mód. 65.

  • Hé hyra má wolde ácwellan, nefne him God wyrd forstóde ,

    • B. 1056.
with idea of defence, to defend, protect
Show examples

  • Betǽc ús Daniel ... Gif ðú hine forstenst, wé fordýlegiað þé,

    • Hml. Th. i. 570, 25.

  • Hine God forstód,

    • An. 1337.

  • Scipio ofslagen wǽre, gif his sunu his ne gehulpe mid þǽm ꝥ hé hiene foran forstód oð hé on fleáme fealh

    Scipio per Scipionem filium ab ipsa morte liberates evasit,

    • Ors. 4, 8
      • ;
    • S. 186, 25.

  • Se lytla cniht geseah bifiendum eágum þá áwyrgdan gástas cuman in tó him. Þá ongan hé clypian, 'Lá, fæder, forstand mé ( obsta, pater ),'

    • Gr. D. 289, 16.
to protect from (dat. )
Show examples

  • Hine God forstód hǽðenum folce,

    • An. 1145.

  • Hé þæt folc forstód feónda mægene,

    • Ps. Th. 105, 19.

  • Heaðolíðendum hord forstandan, bearn and brýde,

    • B. 2955
      • :
    • Met. 1, 22.

  • Hé sceal þý wonge wealdan: ne magon gé him þá wíc forstondan ,

    • Gú. 674.

  • Gif gé þæt fæsten fýre willað forstandan, on þǽre stówe wé gesunde magon sǽles bídan,

    • Gen. 2522.
to avail, profit, be good for
Show examples

  • Hwæt forstent his gehlýd?,

    • Past. 91, 25
      • :
    • Ps. Th. 2, 4.

  • Habbe ic nú forbærned ðá ealdan gewritu ðe ic geáhsian mihte. Gif hyra hwilc funden bið, ne forstent ðæt náht,

    • C. D. ii. 116, 3.

  • Witan hwæt gerímcræft forstande,

    • Angl. viii. 312, 44.

  • Þéh hit æt þám ende náht ne forstóde,

    • Chr. 1066
      • ;
    • P. 196, 18.

  • Cwæð hé tó mé ðæt hé freólsas genóge hæfde, gif hí áht forstódan ,

    • C. D. iv. 10, 2.

  • Heora eáþmétto ne mihton náuht forstandan,

    • Bt. 29, 2
      • ;
    • F. 104, 34.
to avail a person
Grammar
for-standan, (dat.)
Show examples

  • Hwæt forstondes (fore-,

    • L.
    ) menn ðéh ...

    quid proderit homini si ...,

    • Mk. R. 8, 36.

  • Ne forstent hit him nóht,

    • Past. 163, 19
      • :
    • 421, 21.

  • Hwæt forstód seó mengu þára freónda þám deórlingum?,

    • Bt. 29, 2
      • ;
    • F. 106, 6.

  • Úre Drihten cwæð ꝥ þám men náwiht ne forstóde þeáh hé ealne middangeard gestrínde,

    • Ll. Th. ii. 424, 10.
to stand for, be the equivalent of , be as good as
Show examples

  • Sé þe þis gebed singð on cyrcean, þonne forstent hit him sealtera sealma. And sé þe hit singð æt his endedæge, þonne forstent hit him húselgang,

    • Lch. iii. 288, 13-16.

  • His freónda forspǽc forstent him eal þæt sylfe swylce hit sylf spǽce,

    • Wlfst. 38, 16.
[
Án messe forstant
  • .xii.
daga feasten,
  • Lch. iii. 166, 17.
]
to understand
Show examples

  • Ne séce ic nó hér þá bec, ac ꝥ ꝥ þá béc forstent, þæt is, þín gewit

    (non libros, sed id quod libris pretium facit),

    • Bt. 5, 1
      • ;
    • F. 10, 20.

  • Siððan ic ðá bóc geliornod hæfde, swǽ swǽ ic hié forstód ... ic hié on Englisc áwende,

    • Past. 7, 23.

  • Ic wéne þeáh ꝥ þú ne forstande hwæt ic ðé tó cwæþe

    nondum forte quid loquar intelligis,

    • Bt. 20
      • ;
    • F. 70, 26.

  • Ic geanbidode oþ ic wiste hwæt þú woldest, and hú þú hit understandan woldest, and eác ic tiolode swíþe geornfullíce ꝥ ðú hit forstandan mihtest

    I waited till I knew what you wanted, and what idea you had formed of it (

    Similar entries
    cf. understandan;III.
    ), and I laboured earnestly that you might understand it,

    • 22, 1
      • ;
    • F. 76, 27.
Etymology
[
v. N. E. D. forstand.
O. Sax. far-standan to defend; to stop; to understand
:
O. H. Ger. fer-standan protegere; intelligere, cognoscere.
]
Linked entries
v.  for-licgan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “for-standan.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/45981.

Checked: 2
Full form

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  • for-standan, v.

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