Etymograph

English

forset

Forset comes from Old English forsettan ‘to hedge in, obstruct, oppress’, from settan ‘to set, establish, place, make’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-1‘to sit’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sodéyeti2‘to set, to seat, to cause to sit’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*satjaną3‘to set, to place down’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sattjan4‘to set, place’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150settan5‘to set, establish, place, make’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150forsettan6‘to hedge in, obstruct, oppress’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forsetten6
  8. Englishtodayforset6

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *satjaną
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *sattjan
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Old English settan
  5. 5 Wiktionary, Old English forsettan
  6. 6 Wiktionary, English forset

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti‘to sit’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sodéyetiWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *satjaną‘to set, to seat, to cause to sit’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*satjanąWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *sattjan‘to set, to place down’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sattjanWiktionary, Old English settan‘to set, place’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150settanWiktionary, Old English forsettan‘to set, establish, place, make’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150forsettanWiktionary, English forset‘to hedge in, obstruct, oppress’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forsettenWiktionary, English forset
  8. EnglishtodayforsetWiktionary, English forset

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’

president, size, sit, sitting, chair, sell, method, seat, session, resident, nest, siege, settle, niche, assess, possess, saddle, exodus, reside, subsidy, residue, residual, nye, sedan, insidious, sediment, dissident, prasad, cathode, soot, sedentary, anode, sedative, obsess, presidio, sate, beset, sedate, presidium, chaise, 92 more

through Proto-West Germanic *sattjan ‘to set, place’

ersatz, 3 more

through Old English settan ‘to set, establish, place, make’

set, setter, 3 more

Today it means

verb To get in front of; intercept; waylay; entrap.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “forset”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti, Proto-Germanic *satjaną, Proto-West Germanic *sattjan, Old English settan, Old English forsettan. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sed- / forset

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