forsteal · verb — to steal away, rob, deprive. It carries an Arena rating of 1546, earned across 13 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, forsteal ranks #1,800 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #2,341 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words, #4,269 of 17,151 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,482 of 17,177 for Most Whimsical Words.
Why “forsteal” is a great word
To steal away, rob, or deprive someone of something, often furtively. From Middle English forstelen, from Old English forstelan ('to steal away, steal, rob, deprive'), from Proto-Germanic *farstelaną, *frastelaną ('to steal, steal away'), equivalent to the prefix for- (indicating removal or destruction) + steal. Unlike ‘steal,’ a general term for unlawful taking, or ‘rob,’ which implies force or confrontation, to forsteal is to carry off furtively, to deprive by secret removal. It is the child silently spirited from its cradle, the last hope pilfered from a weary heart, the family name quietly appropriated by a distant branch—the particular theft that leaves not just an absence, but a hollow where something once was anchored.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English forstelen, from Old English forstelan (“to steal away, steal, rob, deprive”), from Proto-Germanic *farstelaną, *frastelaną (“to steal, steal away”), equivalent to for- + steal. Cognate with Middle Low German vorstelen (“to steal away”), Middle High German ferstelan (“to steal away”).
verb
- To steal away, rob, deprive.e.g.“Be ye not willing to hoard to you gold hoards on earth, where rust and moth fortake it, and where thieves delve it and forsteal, […]” — 1861, Thomas Oswald Cockayne, Spoon and sparrow:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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