From Middle English forwernen, from Old English forwærnan, forwoernan, forwiernan (“to hinder, prohibit, prevent, repel, refuse, repudiate, deny, withhold, oppose”), from Proto-Germanic *fra-, *fur-, *far- (“for-”) + Proto-Germanic *warnijaną (“to care, worry”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to close, cover, protect, defend”), equivalent to for- + warn (“to deny, refuse, forbid”).
- (transitive) To prohibit; forbid; deny (right, access to, etc.).
- 1690, Thomas Shadwell, The amorous bigotte:
- Oh Cousin this wicked Duoena, this Grycta suspects the good Woman who brought the Letter, and has forwarn'd her the House.
- 1708, Samuel Sewall, Diary:
- I meet the Workman by Mr. Pemberton's Gate, and forewarn him from making of it; [...]
- 1840, Charles Lamb, Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd, The works of Charles Lamb:
- [...] having been caught putting the inside of the master's desk to a use for which the architect had clearly not designed it, to justify himself, with great simplicity averred, that he did not know that the thing had been forewarned.