Forswear is a verb that means to reject or renounce something earnestly, or to deny under oath; it can also mean to swear falsely. It is the modern English version of an Old English term.
Forswear is a verb meaning to reject or renounce something earnestly, or to deny under oath. It can also mean to swear falsely or make a liar of oneself under oath. The word is the modern English equivalent of an Old English term for foreswearing oneself.
| Word | forswear |
|---|---|
| Date | June 24, 2021 |
| Type | verb |
| Syllables | for-SWAIR |
| Etymology | Forswear (which is also sometimes spelled foreswear) is the modern English equivalent of Old English forswerian. It can suggest denial ("[Thou] would'st forswear thy own hand and seal" — John Arbuthnot, John Bull) or perjury ("Is it the interest of any man … to lie, forswear himself, indulge hatred, seek desperate revenge, or do murder?" — Charles Dickens, American Notes). But in current use, it most often has to do with giving something up, as in "The feuding parties agreed to forswear violence" and "She refused to forswear her principles." |
| Examples | "The first instance of oath-taking is common in our everyday lives. Most weddings feature a couple forswearing all others, pledging fidelity to each other as long as they live. Witnesses in a courtroom (or Senate and House hearings) place their hands on a Bible and 'swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.'" — William Shaw, The Pilot (Southern Pines, North Carolina), 6 Mar. 2021 "All jobs, for the most part, within qualifying companies are subsidized. And, other than the limits on executive compensation, there are no restrictions on how companies spend their subsidy payments, including no requirement to forswear layoffs." — Patrick Brethour, The Globe and Mail (Canada), 14 May 2021 |
| Definition | 1 : to make a liar of (oneself) under or as if under oath 2 a : to reject or renounce under oath b : to renounce earnestly 3 : to deny under oath 4 : to swear falsely |
Tags: wordoftheday::verb
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Emeritus adjective retired describe soldiers meaning noun honorary
Previous card: Affluent riches abundance wealthy people flow image flowing
Up to card list: Word of the Day