Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To predict.
  • transitive verb To arrange for in advance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • See forspeak.
  • To foresay; foretell or predict.
  • To engage beforehand; buy a thing before it is in the market; bespeak: as, that calf is forespoken.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb See forspeak.
  • transitive verb obsolete To foretell; to predict.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete, transitive To foretell; to predict.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

fore- +‎ speak

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Examples

  • He thought himself more specially a seer, and in his prayer after the failure of his friends, the murderers of Riccio, he congratulates himself on being favoured above the common sort of his brethren, and privileged to "forespeak" things, in an unique degree.

    John Knox and the Reformation Andrew Lang 1878

  • "knowledge above the common sort of my brethren" (pride has crept in again!), and has been compelled to "forespeak," or prophesy.

    John Knox and the Reformation Andrew Lang 1878

  • “Do not forespeak us, brother,” said Angus; “that is not lucky.”

    A Legend of Montrose 2008

  • And see Things pass'd, and Things to come forespeak.

    A Patch-Work Screen for the Ladies 2008

  • Those, meanwhile, who knew anything that boded ill, concealed it, lest they might seem to forespeak ill-luck.

    The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans Plutarch 2003

  • Thou hast compelled me to forespeak, as well deliverance to the afflicted, as destruction to certain inobedient, the performance whereof, not I alone, but the very blind world has already seen.

    John Knox A. Taylor Innes

  • He thought himself more specially a seer, and in his prayer after the failure of his friends, the murderers of Riccio, he congratulates himself on being favoured above the common sort of his brethren, and privileged to “forespeak” things, in an unique degree.

    John Knox and the Reformation Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912 1905

  • ` ` Do not forespeak us, brother, '' said Angus; ` ` that is not lucky. ''

    A Legend of Montrose 1871

  • No doubt Isolina had heard her captors forespeak their plans.

    The War Trail The Hunt of the Wild Horse Mayne Reid 1850

  • “knowledge above the common sort of my brethren” (pride has crept in again!), and has been compelled to “forespeak,” or prophesy.

    John Knox and the Reformation Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912 1905

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