forbear
verb
[ fɔːˈbɛː ]
• politely or patiently restrain an impulse to do something; refrain.
• "he modestly forbears to include his own work"
Similar:
refrain,
abstain,
desist,
keep,
restrain oneself,
stop oneself,
hold back,
withhold,
resist the temptation to,
steer clear of,
give a wide berth to,
fight shy of,
eschew,
avoid,
shun,
decline to,
cease,
give up,
break off,
lay off,
leave off,
swear off,
give over,
jack in,
belay,
Opposite:
persist in,
Origin:
Old English forberan (see for-, bear1). The original senses were ‘endure, bear with’, hence ‘endure the absence of, do without’, also ‘control oneself’, hence ‘refrain from’ (Middle English).
forbear
noun
• variant spelling of forebear.
forebear
noun
• an ancestor.
• "generations of his forebears had lived in London"
Similar:
ancestor,
forefather,
predecessor,
progenitor,
father,
grandfather,
parent,
grandparent,
antecedent,
forerunner,
precursor,
primogenitor,
Origin:
late 15th century: from fore + bear, variant of obsolete beer ‘someone who exists’ (from be + -er1).
