Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

forwork

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
for-work
IPA
17
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To forfeit (a possession, privilege, etc.); ruin (oneself) by one's own conduct.

Archaic; Transitive verb

verb

To obstruct; barricade; block.

Archaic; Transitive verb

verb

To do wrong to; injure; scathe.

Archaic; Transitive verb

verb

To overwork; exhaust with toil.

Archaic; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English forwirken, forwerken, forwurchen, from Old English forwyrċan (“to do wrong, sin; ruin, undo, destroy; condemn, convict, curse; forfeit; barricade, obstruct, close up”), from Proto-Germanic *frawurkijaną, equivalent to for- + work. Cognate with Dutch verwerken (“to digest, assimilate, work up, put into action”), German verwirken (“to forfeit”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (frawaurkjan).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Prefix: for
  • Root: forwirken, forwyrċan, *frawurkijaną

Usage

Inflected Forms

forworks (present, singular) forworking (participle, present) forworked (participle, past) forworked (past) forwrought (participle, past) forwrought (past)

Synonyms

shoot oneself in the foot forslow barricade block choke clog close off cumber forwork foul gunk up hamper

Questions

What does forwork mean?
To forfeit (a possession, privilege, etc.); ruin (oneself) by one's own conduct.
Where does forwork come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce forwork

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “forwork”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “forwork”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “forwork” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.