forewarn
Meaning
to warn someone about a problem or danger before it happens
Structure
Usage
the weather service will forewarn coastal residents of the approaching hurricane.
i must forewarn you that the path ahead is quite steep and rocky.
the device is designed to forewarn drivers of potential collisions.
Etymology
the word forewarn is a transparent compound formed from two old english elements. the prefix 'fore-' has remained remarkably stable in meaning from its proto-germanic ancestor 'fura-' and proto-indo-european 'per-', both conveying the sense of 'forward, in front, before'. combined with the verb 'warn', which itself derives from a west germanic root meaning 'to make aware, to take heed', the compound literally means 'to warn beforehand'. this logical construction has persisted into modern english, retaining its core semantic link where an advance notice is given to prepare for or prevent a future event.
Analysis
fore is from old english 'fore', meaning 'before, in front of', functioning as a prefix. warn is from old english 'warnian', meaning 'to give notice of impending danger', functioning as the root verb.