Etymology and origin of the English word forearm
forearm1 to arm beforehand
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1584
- Ultimate origins
- English fore-Old English earm
Etymology tree of forearm1
From the same root · forearm1
Pronunciation
Etymology
The verb meaning to arm beforehand is formed from English fore- + arm (“to equip with weapons”).[2][3][4][5][6]
Earliest recorded meaning
To arm in advance for attack or resistance: Merriam-Webster dates it to 1584,[5] the OED to 1591, in Robert Greene's Second Part of Conny-catching,[2] and Barnhart to 1592.[4]
Semantic evolution
The OED records the verb both literally and figuratively from its first use.[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as providing for attack or resistance before the time of need.[7] Weekley noted that it was used only in the proverb forewarned is forearmed,[8] which the Shorter Oxford quotes.[6] Merriam-Webster gives the broader sense "to prepare".[5]
Timeline
- 1584 – to arm in advance.[5] The OED's first quotation, of 1591, uses it literally and figuratively.[2]
Meanings
Verb
forearm2 lower arm
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1739 J. Sparrow's translation of Le Dran's Observations in Surgery
- Ultimate origins
- English fore-Old English earm
Etymology tree of forearm2
From the same root · forearm2
Pronunciation
Etymology
The part of the arm is formed from English fore- + arm (“the limb”).[2][3][4][5][6]
Earliest recorded meaning
The part of the arm between the elbow and the wrist: 1739, in J. Sparrow's translation of Le Dran's Observations in Surgery.[2] Etymonline, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster date it to 1741.[3][4][5]
Semantic evolution
The OED notes that the word sometimes meant the whole arm below the elbow, and that it was also used of the corresponding part of a four-footed animal's foreleg.[2] The Shorter Oxford adds the corresponding part of a bird's wing.[6]
Timeline
- 1739 – the part of the arm between elbow and wrist.[2]
Meanings
Noun
Related words
- forewarn
- arm
- fore-
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
- ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
Cite this entry
“Forearm.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/forearm. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·