forswear
/fə(ɹ)ˈswɛə(ɹ)/ verb
Forms forswears forswearing forswore forsworn foreswear
- verb (transitive) To renounce or deny something, especially under oath. “We forswear allegiance and support for the Economic Freedom Fighters.”
- verb (intransitive or reflexive) To commit perjury; to break an oath.
Synonyms
abjure disavow swear off deny disclaim disown forsay renounce repudiate wash one's hands of perjure manswear misswear recant retract resile
Etymology
From Middle English forsweren, from Old English forswerian (“to swear falsely”). Cognate with Old Saxon farswerian, Old High German farsweren, German verschwören. More at for- + swear.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To reject or renounce upon oath; hence, to renounce earnestly, determinedly, or with protestations.
- verb To deny upon oath.
- verb To swear falsely; to commit perjury. Shak.
Etymology [OE. forsweren, forswerien, AS. forswerian; pref. for- + swerian to swear. See For-, and Swear, v. i.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “forswear”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details