DictionaryRoot: sacan
Old English

sacan

to dispute, accuse

1 / 1
An older woman drives away from a dog she has left tied to a lone roadside post.
verb

forsake

fer-SAYK/fərˈseɪk/

To leave or give up someone or something entirely.

Etymology

The intensive prefix combines with a verb meaning to dispute or accuse. The resulting Old English verb covered opposition and refusal as well as renunciation, connecting rejection with the present meaning of abandonment.

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