A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

fondle --- 1593 (implied in fondly), "treat with indulgence and affection," freq. of fond "dote upon" (see fond). Sense of "caress" first recorded 1796.

fondue --- 1878, Fr. cooking term, fem. pp. of fondre "melt" (see found (2)).

font (1) --- basin, O.E. font, from L. fons (gen. fontis) "fountain" (see fountain), especially in M.L. fons baptismalis "baptismal font."

font (2) --- typeface, 1683, from M.Fr. fonte, fem. pp. of fondre "melt" (see found (2)). So called because all the letters were cast at the same time.

fontanelle --- 1541, "hollow between two muscles," from O.Fr. fontenelle, dim. of fontaine "spring" (see fountain), on analogy of the dent in the earth where a spring arises. In ref. to the "hollow" in a baby's skull, it is first recorded 1741.

food --- O.E. foda, from P.Gmc. *fodon (cf. Goth. fodeins), from Gmc. root *fod-, equivalent of PIE *pa-/*pi- "to tend, keep, pasture, to protect, to guard, to feed" (cf. Gk. pateisthai "to feed;" L. pabulum "food, fodder," panis "bread," pasci "to feed," pascare "to graze, pasture, feed," pastor "shepherd," lit. "feeder;" Avestan pitu- "food;" O.C.S. pasti "feed cattle, pasture;" Rus. pishcha "food"). Foodie, colloquial for "gourmet," is first attested 1982. Food chain is from 1927.

fool (n.) --- c.1275, from O.Fr. fol "madman, insane person," also an adj. meaning "mad, insane," from L. follis "bellows, leather bag," in V.L. used with a sense of "windbag, empty-headed person" (see follicle). Cf. also Skt. vatula- "insane," lit. "windy, inflated with wind." "The word has in mod.Eng. a much stronger sense than it had at an earlier period; it has now an implication of insulting contempt which does not in the same degree belong to any of its synonyms, or to the derivative foolish." [OED] Meaning "jester, court clown" first attested 1370, though it is not always possible to tell whether the reference is to a professional entertainer or an amusing lunatic on the payroll. As the name of a kind of custard dish, it is attested from 1598 (the food was also called trifle, which may be the source of the name). The verb meaning "to make a fool of" is recorded from 1596. Feast of Fools (c.1320), from M.L. festum stultorum) refers to the burlesque festival celebrated in some churches on New Year's Day in medieval times. Fool's gold "iron pyrite" is from 1882. Fool's paradise "state of illusory happiness" is from 1462. Fool around is 1875 in the sense of "pass time idly," 1970s in sense of "have sexual adventures." Foolosopher, a most useful insult, turns up in a 1549 translation of Erasmus.

foolhardy --- c.1225, from fool (n.) + M.E. hardi "bold;" hence "foolishly brave."

foolproof --- 1902, Amer.Eng., "safe against the incompetence of a fool," from fool (n.) + proof (q.v.).

foolscap --- c.1700 as a type of paper; so called because this type of paper was originally watermarked with a court jester's cap.

foot --- O.E. fot, from P.Gmc. *fot (cf. O.N. fotr, Du. voet, Ger. Fuß, Goth. fotus "foot"), from PIE *pod-/*ped- (cf. Avestan pad-; Skt. pat, acc. padam "foot;" Gk. pos, Attic pous, gen. podos; L. pes, gen. pedis "foot;" Lith. padas "sole," peda "footstep"). Plural form feet is an instance of i-mutation. Of a bed, grave, etc., first recorded 1300. The linear measurement of 12 inches is first recorded in O.E., from the length of a man's foot. To foot a bill is attested from 1848, from the process of tallying the expenses and writing the figure at the bottom ("foot") of the bill. Theatrical footlights is first attested 1836; footnote is from 1841. Colloquial exclamation my foot! expressing "contemptuous contradiction" is first attested 1923, probably a euphemism for my ass, in the same sense, which dates back to 1796. The metrical foot (O.E., translating L. pes, Gk. pous in the same sense) is commonly taken as a reference to keeping time by tapping the foot. To get off on the right foot is from 1909; to put one's best foot foremost first recorded 1849.

footage --- 1916, "the length of film used in a scene, etc.," from foot as a measure of length.

football --- the open-air game, first recorded 1409; forbidden in a Scottish statute of 1424. The first reference to the ball itself is 1486. Figurative sense of "something idly kicked around" is first recorded 1532. Ball-kicking games date back to the Roman legions, at least, but the sport seems to have risen to a national obsession in England, c.1630. Rules first regularized at Cambridge, 1848; soccer (q.v.) split off in 1863. The U.S. style (known to some in England as "stop-start rugby with padding") evolved gradually 19c.; the first true collegiate game is considered to have been played Nov. 6, 1869, between Princeton and Rutgers, at Rutgers, but the rules there were more like soccer. A rematch at Princeton Nov. 13, with the home team's rules, was true U.S. football. The earliest recorded application of the word football to this is from 1881.

foothill --- a hill that leads up to a mountain, 1850, Amer.Eng., from foot + hill.

footing --- position, stance, originally from archery (1545), from foot.

footle --- to trifle, 1892, from dial. footer "to trifle," footy "mean, paltry" (1752), probably from Fr. se foutre "to care nothing," from O.Fr. foutre "to fuck," from L. futuere, originally "to strike, thrust" (cf. confute). But O.E.D. derives the Eng. dial. words from foughty (1600), from Du. vochtig or Dan. fugtig "damp, musty;" related to fog.

footloose --- 1699, in literal sense of "free to move the feet, unshackled," from foot + loose. Fig. sense of "free to act as one pleases" is from 1873.

footpad --- highway robber, 1683, from foot + pad (q.v.).

footsie --- amorous play with the feet [OED], 1944, from foot.

footstep --- c.1220, "footprint," from foot + step. Meaning "a tread or fall of the foot" is first attested 1535.

fop --- 1440, "foolish person," perhaps related to fob (v.) via Ger. foppen "jeer at, make a fool of" (see fob (v.)). Sense of "dandy" is 1670.

for --- O.E. for "for, before, on account of," from P.Gmc. *fura (cf. O.S. furi, Du. voor "for, before;" Ger. für "for;" Dan. for "for," før "before;" Goth. faur "for," faura "before"); see fore. A common prefix in O.E., where it could be intensive, destructive, or perfective. Its use alone as a conjunction (not found before 12c.) is probably a shortening of common O.E. phrases such as for þon þy "therefore."

forage (n.) --- c.1315, from O.Fr. forage, from fuerre "fodder, straw," from Frank. *fodr "food" (cf. O.H.G. fuotar, O.E. fodor); see fodder. The verb is first recorded 1417.

Foraminifera --- 1835, Mod.L., neut. pl. of foraminifer "bearing holes," from L. foramen "hole, opening, orifice" + -fer "bearing;" so called because the shells are usually perforated by pores.

foray --- 1375, Scottish back-formation of forreyer "raider, forager," from O.Fr. forrier, from forrer "to forage," related to fuerre "fodder" (see forage).

forbear (n.) --- 1470, from fore "before" + be-er "one who exists."

forbear (v.) --- to abstain, O.E. forberan "bear up against, control one's feelings, endure," from for + beran "to bear" (see bear (v.)).

forbid --- O.E. forbeodan, from for- "against" + beodan "to command" (see bid). Common Gmc. compound (cf. Du. verbieden, O.H.G. farbiotan, Ger. verbieten, Goth. faurbiudan). Forbidding "uninviting" first recorded 1712.

force (n.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. force, from L.L. fortia, from neut. pl. of L. fortis "strong" (see fort). Meaning "body of armed men, army" first recorded 1375. The verb is first attested 1330; its original sense was "to ravish" (a woman).

forcemeat --- mincemeat, 1688, from force "to stuff," a variant of farce (q.v.) + meat.

forceps --- 1563, from L. forceps, compound of formus "hot" + root of capere "to hold, take" (see capable). Originally a smith's implement.

ford (n.) --- O.E. ford, from P.Gmc. *furdhus (cf. O.Fris. forda, O.H.G. furt, Ger. Furt "ford"), from PIE *prtus (cf. L. portus "harbor," originally "entrance, passage;" O.Welsh rit, Welsh rhyd "ford;" O.E. faran "to go;" see port (1)). The verb is attested from 1614. The line of automobiles is named for U.S. manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947).

fore --- O.E. fore (prep.) "before, in front of;" (adv.) "before, previously," common Gmc. (cf. O.H.G. fora, O.Fris. fara, Ger. vor, Goth. faiura, O.N. fyrr "for"); from PIE *per-/*pr- (cf. Skt. pura "before, formerly;" Avestan paro "before;" Hittite para- "on, forth;" Gk. paros "before," para "from beside, beyond," peri "around, about, toward," pro "before;" L. pro "before, for, on behalf of, instead of," prae "before," per "through, for;" O.C.S. pra-dedu "great-grandfather"). The warning cry in golf is first recorded 1878, probably a contraction of before. The forehand tennis stroke is from 1889. Sexual sense of foreplay is first recorded 1929. Foreshadow is from 1577, on the notion of a shadow thrown before an object and suggesting what is to come; forebode "feel a secret premonition" is from 1603; foretell and forethought are both from c.1300. Foreshorten is from 1606; forever (adv.) is first recorded 1670. Forefather "ancestor" first attested c.1300, perhaps from O.N. forfaðir.

forecast (v.) --- c.1388, "to scheme," from fore "before" + casten "contrive." Meaning "predict events" first attested 1494.

forecastle --- 1407, from Anglo-Fr. forechasteil, from M.E. fore "before" + castel "fortified tower," the short raised deck in the fore part of the ship used in warfare. Spelling fo'c'sle reflects sailors' pronunciation.

foreclose --- c.1290, from O.Fr. forclos, pp. of forclore "exclude," from fors "out" (from L. foris "outside;" see foreign) + clore "to shut." Specific mortgage law sense is first attested 1728.

forefront --- c.1470, a Gmc.-L. hybrid, from fore + front. Originally of buildings; the main modern sense is from military meaning "front rank of an army" (1513).

forego --- O.E. forgan "go away, pass over, forego, precede," from for- "away" + gan "go." Usually in foregone conclusion, which was popularized in Shakespeare's "Othello" [III.iii], but his sense was not necessarily the main modern one of "a decision already formed before the case is argued." The similar foredone is now archaic, replaced by done for.

foreground --- 1695, from fore + ground. First used in Eng. by Dryden, originally in painting (cf. Du. voorgrond).

forehead --- O.E. forheafod, from for(e)- + heafod (see head).

foreign --- 1297, ferren, foreyne "out of doors," from O.Fr. forain, from L.L. foranus "on the outside, exterior," from L. foris "outside," lit. "out of doors," related to fores "door;" spelling altered 17c. perhaps by influence of reign, sovereign. Replaced native fremd. Sense of "not in one's own land" is first attested 1393.

foreman --- 1538 in the sense of "principal juror;" 1574 in the sense of "principal workman;" from fore + man. Earliest attested meaning (c.1425) was "a leader."

foremost --- O.E. fyrmest "earliest, first, most prominent," from P.Gmc. *formo- (related to O.E. fruma "beginning"), superl. of the root of Eng. fore + additional superl. suffix -est. Cf. O.Fris. formest, Goth. frumists. Altered on the assumption that it is a compound of fore and most.

forensic --- 1581, from L. forensis "of a forum, place of assembly," from forum. Used in sense of "pertaining to legal trials," as in forensic medicine (1845).

forerunner --- c.1300, from fore + runner. M.E. rendition of L. præcursor, in reference to John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ.

foresee --- O.E. forseon "have a premonition," from fore- "before" + seon "to see, see ahead." Foresight is from c.1300.

foreskin --- 1535, from fore + skin. A loan-translation of L. prepuce.

forest --- 1297, "extensive tree-covered district," especially one set aside for royal hunting and under the protection of the king, from O.Fr. forest, probably from L.L./M.L. forestem silvam "the outside woods," a term from the Capitularies of Charlemagne denoting "the royal forest;" perhaps via O.H.G. forst, from L. foris "outside," with a sense of "beyond the park," the park being the main or central fenced woodland. Another theory traces it through M.L. forestis, originally "forest preserve, game preserve," from L. forum in legal sense "court, judgment;" in other words "land subject to a ban." Replaced O.E. wudu.

forestall --- O.E. foresteall "an ambush, a waylaying," from fore "before" + steall "standing position" (see stall (1)). Modern sense of "to anticipate and delay" is from 1585.

foreword --- 1842, perhaps a loan-translation of Ger. Vorwart "preface," modeled on L. præfatio "preface."

forfeit (n.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. forfait "crime," originally pp. of forfaire "transgress," from for- "outside, beyond," + faire "to do" (from L. facere; see factitious). Translating M.L. foris factum. Sense shifted c.1450 from the crime to the penalty.

forfend --- 1382, "to protect, prohibit," a hybrid from for- + fend, from L. defendere "to ward off."

forge (n.) --- 1279, from O.Fr. forge, earlier faverge, from L. fabrica "workshop," from faber (gen. fabri) "workman in hard materials, smith." Sense of "to counterfeit" is in Anglo-Fr. verb forger "falsify," from O.Fr. forgier, from L. fabricari "to frame, construct, build." Forgery is first recorded 1574.

forge (v.) --- 1611, "make way, move ahead," most likely an alteration of force, but perhaps from forge (n.), via notion of steady hammering at something. Originally nautical, in referrence to vessels.

forget --- O.E. forgytan, from for- "passing by, letting go" (cf. forbear, forgo) + gietan "to grasp" (see get). A common Gmc. construction (cf. O.S. fargetan, Du. vergeten, Ger. vergessen "to forget"). The literal sense would be "to lose (one's) grip on," but that is not recorded in any Gmc. language. Forgettable (1845) first attested in Carlyle. Forget-me-not (the flowering plant Myosotis palustris) is so called from 1532, from O.Fr. ne m'oubliez mye; in 15c. the flower was supposed to ensure that those wearing it should never be forgotten by their lovers. Similar loan-transl. into other languages, cf. Ger. Vergißmeinnicht, Sw. forgätmigej, Hungarian nefelejcs, Czech nezabudka.

forgive --- O.E. forgiefan "give, grant, allow," also "to give up" and "to give in marriage;" from for- "completely" + giefan "give" (see give). The modern sense of "to give up desire or power to punish" is from use of the compound as a Gmc. loan-translation of L. perdonare (cf. Du. vergeven, Ger. vergeben; see pardon).

fork --- O.E. forca "forked instrument used by torturers," from L. furca "pitchfork," of uncertain origin. Table forks were not generally used in England until 15c. The word is first attested in this sense in Eng. in a will of 1463, probably from O.N.Fr. forque, from the L. word. The verb "to divide in branches" is from the noun. Fork-lift (truck) first attested 1946. The slang verb phrase fork up (or out) "give over" is from 1831.

forlorn --- 1154, "depraved," pp. of obsolete forlesan "be deprived of, lose, abandon," from O.E. forleosan, from for- "completely" + leosan "to lose" (see lose). In the Mercian hymns, L. perditionis is glossed by O.E. forlorenisse. Originally "forsaken, abandoned;" sense of "wretched, miserable" first recorded 1582. Commonly in forlorn hope (1579), which is a partial translation of Du. verloren hoop, in which hoop means "troop, band," lit. "heap," and the sense of the whole phrase is of a suicide mission. The phrase is usually used incorrectly in Eng., and the misuse has colored the sense of forlorn.

form --- c.1225, from O.Fr. forme, from L. forma "form, mold, shape, case," origin unknown. One theory holds that it is from Gk. morphe "form, beauty, outward appearance" (see morphine) via Etruscan. Sense of "behavior" is first recorded c.1386. The verb is attested from 1297.

formal --- c.1386, from L. formalis, from forma (see form). Short for formal dance, first recorded 1946. Formality in the depreciative sense is from 1647. Formalism is from 1840 as "strict adherence to prescribed forms;" 1943 in ref. to Rus. literary movement (1916-30).

formaldehyde --- 1872, formed from form(ic acid) + aldehyde, coined by Ger. chemist Justus von Liebig (1803-73), abbreviation of al(cohol) dehyd(rogenatum) "dehydrogenated alcohol."

format --- 1840, via Fr. & Ger. from Mod.L. liber formatus "a book formed" (in such and such a way), referring to shape, size; from pp. of formare "to form." The verb, used chiefly of computers, is first attested 1964.

former --- earlier in time, c.1160, comparative of forme "first," patterned on formest "foremost" (see foremost). An unusual case of a comparative formed from a superlative (the -m- is a superlative element; the word was formed on the analogy of foremost).

formic acid --- 1791, coined from L. formica "ant;" so called because it was obtained from red ants.

Formica --- 1946, proprietary name (1922), from the original manufacturer, Formica Insulation Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio.

formidable --- 1508, from M.Fr. formidable, from L. formidabilis, from formidare "to fear," from formido "terror, dread."

Formosa --- old name of Taiwan, given by Portuguese, from Port. Formosa insula "beautiful island," from fem. of L. formosus "beautiful."

formula --- 1638, from L. formula "form, rule, method, formula," lit. "small form," dim. of forma "form." Originally, "words used in a ceremony or ritual." Modern sense is colored by Carlyle's use of the word for "rule slavishly followed without understanding" (1837). Formulaic is from 1882; formulate is 1860. "Men who try to speak what they believe, are naked men fighting men quilted sevenfold in formulae." [Charles Kingsley, "Letters," 1861]

fornication --- c.1300, from O.Fr. fornication, from L.L. fornicationem (nom. fornicatio), from fornicari "fornicate," from L. fornix (gen. fornicis) "brothel," originally "arch, vaulted chamber" (Roman prostitutes commonly solicited from under the arches of certain buildings), from fornus "oven of arched or domed shape." Strictly, "voluntary sex between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman;" extended in the Bible to adultery.

forsake --- O.E. forsacan "decline, refuse," from for- "completely" + sacan "to deny, refuse" (see sake).

forsooth --- O.E. forsoð, from for-, intensive prefix, + soð "truth" (see sooth).

forswear --- O.E. forswerian "swear falsely," also "abandon or renounce on oath," from for- "completely" + swerian "to swear."

forsythia --- 1814, coined 1805 in Mod.L. in honor of William Forsyth (1737-1804), Scottish horticulturalist who brought the shrub from China.

fort --- 1557, from M.Fr. fort, noun use of O.Fr. fort (adj.) "strong, fortified," from L. fortis "strong," from O.Latin forctus, from PIE base *bheregh- "high, elevated" (cf. Skt. brmhati "strengthens, elevates," O.H.G. berg "hill").

forte --- 1648, from Fr. fort "strong point (of a sword blade)," also "fort," from M.Fr. fort (see fort); final -e- added 18c. in imitation of It. forte "strong." Meaning "strong point of a person" is from 1682.

forth --- O.E. forðian "forward, onward," perf. of for(e), from P.Gmc. *furtha- (cf. O.N. forð, Du. voort, Ger. fort), from PIE *prto-, from the root of fore (q.v.). Forthright is O.E. forðriht; forthcoming "about to happen" is from 1521; forthwith "right away" is from c.1450.

fortify --- 1436, "provide (a town) with walls and defenses," from M.Fr. fortifier, from L.L. fortificare, from L. fortis "strong" (see fort) + facere "to make" (see factitious). Sense of "to strengthen mentally or morally" is from 1477. Meaning "add liquor or alcohol" is from 1880.

fortitude --- 1422, from M.Fr. fortitude, from L. fortitudo "strength," from fortis "strong, brave" (see fort).

fortnight --- 17c. contraction of M.E. fourteniht, from O.E. feowertyne niht, lit. "fourteen nights," preserving the ancient Gmc. custom of reckoning by nights, mentioned by Tacitus in "Germania" xi.

fortress --- c.1330, from O.Fr. forteresse "strong place," var. of fortelesse, from M.L. fortalitia, from L. fortis "strong" + Eng. -ess, a fairly uncommon suffix (duress, largess being other examples), from L. -itia, forming nouns of quality or condition.

fortuitous --- 1653, from L. fortuitus, from forte "by chance," abl. of fors "chance." It means "accidental, undesigned" not "fortunate."

fortune --- c.1300, "chance, luck as a force in human affairs," from O.Fr. fortune (12c.), from L. fortuna, from fors (gen. fortis) "chance, luck," from PIE base *bhrtis-. Often personified as a goddess; her wheel betokens vicissitude. Sense of "owned wealth" first found in Spenser; probably it evolved from senses of "one's condition or standing in life," hence "position as determined by wealth," then "wealth itself." Soldier of fortune first attested 1661. The fortune cookie (1962) is said to have been invented in 1918 by David Jung, Chinese immigrant to America who established Hong Kong Noodle Co., who handed out cookies that contained uplifting messages as a promotional gimmick. Fortune 500 "most profitable American companies" is 1955, from the list published annually in "Fortune" magazine. Fortunate Islands "mythical abode of the blessed dead, in the Western Ocean," 1432, translates L. Fortunatæ Insulæ.

forty --- O.E. feowertig, from feower "four" + tig "group of ten" (see -ty (1)). Roaring Forties are rough parts of the ocean between 40 and 50 degrees latitude. Forty winks "short sleep" is attested from 1828.

forum --- 1460, "place of assembly in ancient Rome," from L. forum "marketplace" apparently akin to foris, foras "out of doors, outside." Sense of "assembly, place for public discussion" first recorded 1690.

forward --- O.E. foreweard "toward the front," from fore + -ward. The verb is first recorded 1596. Sense of "early" is from 1526; that of "presumptuous" is attested from 1561. The position in football so called since 1879. British Eng. until mid-20c. preserved the distinction between forward and forwards, the latter expressing "a definite direction viewed in contrast with other directions." In Amer.Eng., however, forward prevails in all senses since Webster (1832) damned forwards as "a corruption."

Fosbury flop --- high-jumping technique, 1968, in ref. to U.S. athlete Dick Fosbury (b.1947), who used it to win the 1968 Olympic gold medal.

fosse --- ditch, trench, 1440, from O.Fr. fosse, from L. fossa "ditch," in full fossa terra, lit. "dug earth," from fem. pp. of fodere "to dig" (see fossil). The Fosse-way, one of the four great Roman roads of Britain, probably was so called from the ditch on either side of it.

fossil --- 1619, "obtained by digging" (adj.), from Fr. fossile, from L. fossilis "dug up," from fossus, pp. of fodere "to dig," from PIE base *bhedh- "to dig, pierce." Noun sense of "geological remains of a plant or animal" is from 1736; slang meaning "old person" first recorded 1859. Fossil fuel (1835) preserves the earlier, broader sense.

foster (v.) --- O.E. *fostrian "to supply with food, nourish, support," from fostor "food, nourishment, bringing up," from P.Gmc. *fostrom, from root *foth-/*fod- (see food). Meaning "to bring up a child with parental care" is from c.1205; that of "to encourage or help grow" is c.1225 of things; 1570 of feelings, ideas, etc. O.E. also had the adj. meaning "in the same family but not related," in fostorfæder, etc.

foul (adj.) --- O.E. ful "dirty, stinking, vile, corrupt," from P.Gmc. *fulaz (cf. O.H.G. fül, M.Du. voul, Ger. faul, Goth. füls), from base *fu-, corresponding to PIE *pu-, perhaps from the sound made in reaction to smelling something bad (cf. Skt. puyati "rots, stinks," putih "foul, rotten;" Gk. puon "discharge from a sore;" L. pus "putrid matter," putere "to stink," putridus "rotten;" Lith. puviu "to rot"). Of weather, first recorded c.1380. In the sporting sense of "irregular, unfair" it is first attested 1797, though foul play is recorded from 1440. O.E. ful occasionally meant "ugly" (as contrasted with fæger (adj.), modern fair), a sense frequently found in M.E., and the cognate in Sw. is the usual word for "ugly." Foulmouthed first attested 1596 in Shakespeare. Foulmart was a M.E. word for "polecat" (from O.E. mearð "marten").