forgrow

Etymology

From Middle English forgrowen, from Old English forgrōwan (“to grow up, grow into, increase, overgrow”), equivalent to for- + grow.

Why this word is great

FORGROW — [Verb] To grow excessively or out of shape, or to become overgrown with unsightly vegetation. From Middle English forgrowen, from Old English forgrōwan ("to grow up, grow into, increase, overgrow"), equivalent to for- ("thoroughly, excessively") + grow. Unlike "overgrow" (which may simply mean to exceed bounds) or "flourish" (which suggests vitality), forgrow carries the weight of neglect, of growth turned grotesque. It is the bramble-choked garden where roses once bloomed, the ivy strangling the oak it once adorned, the way a childhood nickname clings, long after it has ceased to fit—a testament to nature’s indifference to human order, and time’s quiet rebellion against tidiness.

verb

To grow to excess or out of shape; grow unduly.“A terror to the new made folke, which neuer erst had knowne So foule a Dragon in their life, so monstrously foregrowne, So great a ground thy poyson paunch did vnderneath thée hide.”
To become grown over; overgrow; become covered with growth (usually one that is excessive or unsightly).“And after the floode was passed & Noy and his housholde come out of the arke, the worlde beyng deuided among his thre sonnes, Sem, Cham, and Iaphethe, and that the people began eftsones to multiplye and increase, the worlde was so forgrowen in wickednes, that there was none found, that truely worshipped god […]”