English - Etymology

From Middle English for, from Old English for (“for, on account of, for the sake of, through, because of, owing to, from, by reason of, as to, in order to”), from Proto-Germanic *furi (“for”), from Proto-Indo-European *peri- (“around”). Cognate with West Frisian for, foar (“for”), Dutch voor (“for”), German für (“for”), Danish for (“for”), Swedish för (“for”), Norwegian for (“for”), Icelandic fyrir (“for”), Latin per (“by, through, for, by means of”), Ancient Greek περί (perí, “for, about, toward”), Lithuanian per (“by, through, during”), Sanskrit परि (pári, “over, around”).

English - Pronunciation

• (stressed)
  • (UK) enPR: fôr, IPA^(key): /fɔː(ɹ)/
  • (US) enPR: fôr, IPA^(key): /fɔɹ/, /foʊɹ/
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)
• (unstressed)
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /fə(ɹ)/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /fə/, IPA^(key): /fɚ/
• Homophone: fore, (with "horse-hoarse" merger) Homophone: four

English - Conjunction

for

1. Because.
   • 1900, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chapter 23

     "By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to carry you to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda, "for it would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler."

   He lost his job, for he got into trouble.

Translations

English - Preposition

for

1. Towards.

   The astronauts headed for the moon.

2. Directed at, intended to belong to.

   I have something for you.

3. Supporting (opposite of against).

   All those for the motion raise your hands.

4. Because of.

   He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him.

   (UK usage) He looks better for having lost weight.

   She was the worse for drink.

   • Shakespeare

     with fiery eyes sparkling for very wrath

5. Over a period of time.

   They fought for days over a silly pencil.

   • Garth

     To guide the sun's bright chariot for a day.

6. Throughout an extent of space.
   • Shakespeare

     For many miles about / There's scarce a bush.

7. On behalf of.

   I will stand in for him.

8. Instead of, or in place of.
   • Bible, Exodus xxi. 23, 24

     And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

9. In order to obtain or acquire.

   I am aiming for completion by the end of business Thursday.

   He's going for his doctorate.

   Do you want to go for coffee?

   People all over Greece looked to Delphi for answers.

   Can you go to the store for some eggs?

   I'm saving up for a car.

   Don't wait for an answer.

   What did he ask you for?

   • Denham

     He writes not for money, nor for praise.

10. In the direction of: marks a point one is going toward.

    Run for the hills!

    He was headed for the door when he remembered.

    • Francis Bacon

      We sailed from Peru for China and Japan.

11. By the standards of, usually with the implication of those standards being lower than one might otherwise expect.

    Fair for its day.

    She's spry for an old lady.

12. Despite, in spite of.
    • 1892 August 6, Charles Dickens, "The Unbidden Guest", in All the Year Round,^[1] page 133,

      Mr. Joseph Blenkinshaw was perhaps not worth quite so much as was reported; but for all that he was a very wealthy man […]

    • 1968, J. J. Scarisbrick, Henry VIII (page 240)

      For all his faults, there had been something lofty and great about him - as a judge, as a patron of education, as a builder, as an international figure.

13. Used to indicate the subject of a to-infinitive.

    For that to happen now is incredibly unlikely. (=It is incredibly unlikely that that will happen now.)

    All I want is for you to be happy. (=All I want is that you be happy.)

14. (chiefly US) Out of; used to indicate a fraction, a ratio

    In term of base hits, Jones was three for four on the day

15. (cricket) used as part of a score to indicate the number of wickets that have fallen

    At close of play, England were 305 for 3.

16. Indicating that in the character of or as being which anything is regarded or treated; to be, or as being.
    • Cowley

      We take a falling meteor for a star.

    • John Locke

      If a man can be fully assured of anything for a truth, without having examined, what is there that he may not embrace for true?

    • Dryden

      Most of our ingenious young men take up some cry'd-up English poet for their model.

    • Philips

      But let her go for an ungrateful woman.

17. Used to construe various verbs. See the entry for the phrasal verb.
18. (obsolete) Indicating that in prevention of which, or through fear of which, anything is done.
    • Beaumont and Fletcher

      We'll have a bib, for spoiling of thy doublet.

English - References

• Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

English - Anagrams

• fro, 'fro, ORF

Danish - Etymology 1

From Old Norse fóðr, from Middle Low German vōder (“linen, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“sheath”).

Alternative forms

• fór

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foːr/, [foːˀɐ̯]
• Rhymes: -oːɐ̯

Noun

for n (singular definite foret, plural indefinite for)

1. lining (covering for the inside of something)
2. lining (material used for inside covering)

Inflection

Danish - Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔ/, [fʌ]

Adverb

for

1. too (more than enough; as too much)
2. in front
3. forward

Conjunction

for

1. for, because

Preposition

for

1. for
2. of
3. to
4. on
5. at
6. before, in front of
7. by

Danish - Etymology 3

See fare (“to rush, run”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foːr/, [foːˀɐ̯]

Verb

for, fór or farede

1. past tense of fare.

Esperanto - Etymology

Compare Latin forās (“outside”).

Esperanto - Adverb

for

1. away, far, gone
   • 1998, Henrik Ibsen, trans. Odd Tangerud Puphejmo : Dramo en tri aktoj, [2]

     NORA (komencas elpreni el la skatolo, sed baldaŭ forĵetas ĉion). Ho, se mi kuraĝus eliri. Se nur neniu venus. Se nur ne dume okazus io hejme. Stulta babilaĵo; neniu venos. Nur ne pensi. Brosi la mufon. Delikataj gantoj, delikataj gantoj. For el la pensoj! For, for! Unu, du, tri, kvar, kvin, ses — (krias) Jen, tie ili venas —

     NORA (begins to unpack the box, but soon pushes it all away). Oh, if I dared go out. If only no one would come. If only I could be sure nothing would happen here in the meantime. Stupid nonsense; no one will come. Only I mustn't think about it. I will brush my muff. What lovely, lovely gloves. Out of my thoughts, Away, away! One, two, three, four, five, six— (Screams) There, someone's coming—

Derived terms

• foriri
• forĵeti
• forlasi
• formeti
• forpuŝi

Galician - Etymology 1

Inflected form of ir (“to go”).

Verb

for

1. first-person singular future subjunctive of ir
2. third-person singular future subjunctive of ir

Galician - Etymology 2

Inflected form of ser (“to be”).

Verb

for

1. first-person singular future subjunctive of ser
2. third-person singular future subjunctive of ser

Icelandic - Noun

for f (genitive singular forar, nominative plural forir)

1. mud
2. bog

Derived terms

• forarpittur

Ido - Preposition

for

1. far from

Latin - Etymology

From Proto-Italic *fāōr, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”). Cognates include fama (“news; fame”), fabula (“story, tale, fable”), Ancient Greek φημί (phēmí, “speak”), φάτις (phátis, “rumour, news, speech”), φάσις (phásis, “speech, announcement”), φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice”), Old Church Slavonic баяти (bajati, “tell, narrate”) and баснь (basnĭ, “fable”) (Russian баять (bajatʹ) and басня (basnja)) and Old English bannan (English ban). Compare also Sanskrit भनति (bhánati, “speak”).

Latin - Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /for/, [fɔr]

Latin - Verb

present active for, present infinitive fārī, perfect active fātus sum (deponent)

1. I speak, talk, say.

Inflection

Synonyms

• (say): dīcō, loquor, āiō

Derived terms

• affor
• fātum
• īnfāns
• interfor

Related terms

• fābulor

Norwegian Bokmål - Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔrː/ (unstressed)
• IPA^(key): /fɔ/ (unstressed)

Norwegian Bokmål - Adverb

for

1. too

   for ung - too young

   for langt - too far

Synonyms

• altfor

Norwegian Bokmål - Conjunction

for

1. for

Synonyms

• fordi

Norwegian Bokmål - Preposition

for

1. for

Norwegian Bokmål - Verb

for

1. past tense of fare.

Norwegian Bokmål - References

• “for” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk - Conjunction

for

1. for

Synonyms

• fordi

Norwegian Nynorsk - Preposition

for

1. for

Novial - Adjective

for

1. away

Old English - Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *fura

Preposition

for

1. for

Old English - Etymology 2

see faran

Verb

fōr

1. first-person singular preterite of faran
2. third-person singular preterite of faran

Noun

fōr f

1. journey, going, course, expedition, approach; passage, lifestyle, way of life

Declension

Old English - Etymology 3

Old English

Noun

fōr m

1. hog, pig

Declension

Old Irish - Alternative Forms

• far

Old Irish - Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *swesero-, from Proto-Celtic *swīs (“you (pl.)”); compare Latin vester.

Old Irish - Determiner

for

1. your (plural)
2. you (plural; as the object of a preposition that takes the genitive)
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 16^d8

     Bíuu-sa oc irbáig dar far cenn-si fri Maccidóndu.

     I am boasting about you to the Macedonians.

Synonyms

• sethar

Old Saxon - Noun

for

1. alternative form of fora

Portuguese - Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfoɾ/

Portuguese - Verb

for

1. first-person singular future subjunctive of ser
2. third-person singular future subjunctive of ser

Swedish - Verb

for

1. past tense of fara.

Walloon - Noun

for m (plural fors)

1. oven

قافية