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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:
intrans.
to stand in the way of an object (dat.),
lie in the line of advance
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  • Oð þæt sǽfæsten landes æt ende leódmægne forstód,

      Exod. 128.
to come to a stand, stop
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  • 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.
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
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  • 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. (2 a) to protect from (dat. )

    :-- 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. III a. to avail a person (dat.) :-- 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 (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.

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  • for-standan, v.

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