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to fordo

to fordo

1 9.9
To destroy completely a person, plan or thing
  • verb
  • /fɔrˈdoʊ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : destruir
  • The villain's greed would ultimately fordo him in the end.

Examples

  • She feared that her own doubts might fordo her chances of success.

  • In the old tale, the city was fordone by a terrible curse.

  • Don't fordo your dreams!

  • The storm fordoed the crops in the field.

  • In the tragic play, the hero's ambition would fordo his chances for happiness.

  • The ancient curse threatened to fordo the entire village if the secret was revealed.

  • The relentless storms may fordo the once thriving crops beyond recovery.

Synonyms

to destroy
vsto fordo
  • Informal
557 1.7

Beat someone completely in a contest or game

is more general, meaning to ruin or kill in archaic literary contexts
to demolish
vsto fordo
15 4.2

Completely destroy an idea, argument, or reputation

is used more in old or literary language for ruin or killing
to lay waste to
vsto fordo
12 7.9

To destroy a place and leave it ruined

is more general and also covers killing or ruining beyond places
to abime
vsto fordo
  • Archaic
9.9

To cause someone or something to fall into a deep hopeless ruin

is broader, meaning to ruin or kill in archaic or literary use
to pox
vsto fordo
  • Archaic
9.9

To ruin plans or crops, used in old language

is the broader archaic literary term for ruin or killing

Antonyms

1.0

To make something new that does not exist yet

1.0

To make something by joining parts or materials

How Severe

to annihilate
  • NSFW
63 7.5
to fordo
  • Archaic
1 9.9
to ruin
2.0
to damage
885 1.4
to harm
738 1.0

Surface Forms

fordo infinitive
fording present participle
fordos third person singular
forded past
forded past participle

Morphology

fordo = do (opaque) = for + do + for

The prefix 'for-' here has an archaic sense ('thoroughly, to ruin') that is no longer productive for most learners, so knowing 'for' and 'do' today will not reliably yield the meaning 'to destroy'.

Etymology

The word fordo comes from old parts for- meaning 'completely' (seen in forget) and do meaning 'to do' or 'to make'. So to fordo someone is to 'do them completely', which explains its use to mean ruin or destroy.