forethink

forethink

English

Etymology

From Middle English forethynken, from Old English fōreþenċan (“to premeditate, consider, be mindful”), corresponding to fore- +‎ think. Cognate with Dutch voordenken, German vordenken (“to think ahead”).

Verb

forethink (third-person singular simple present forethinks, present participle forethinking, simple past and past participle forethought)

1. (transitive, rare) To plan (something) in advance; think, consider, or contrive beforehand; prognosticate.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)

2. (transitive, rare) To think about beforehand; to anticipate.
   • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act III Scene ii:

     […] and the soul of every man / Prophetically doth forethink thy fall.

   • 1635, John Donne, Song:

     Let not thy divining heart / Forethinke me any ill [...].