Forget v.

Pa. t. forgot, arch. forgat. Pa. pple. forgotten, arch. and poet., forgot. For forms see GET. [OE. forȝietan str. vb. (forȝeat, -ȝéatun, -ȝiten) corresponding to OS. far-getan (Du. vergeten), OHG. fargeȝan (MHG. vergeȝȝen, Ger. vergessen); f. OTeut. *getan (see GET v.) in the sense ‘to hold, grasp,’ the force of the prefix being that illustrated under FOR- pref.¹ 3. The etymological sense is thus ‘to miss or lose one’s hold’; but the physical application is not recorded in any Teut. lang.]

  1.  trans. To lose remembrance of; to cease to retain in one’s memory. † Formerly sometimes with out. Often with clause as obj.

c. 888.  K. Ælfred, Boeth., xlii. Næfre nauht he ne forgeat.

c. 1050.  Byrhtferth’s Handboc, in Anglia (1885), VIII. 326. Þæt þu neforgyte þæt ic þe nu secge.

a. 1200.  Moral Ode, 98. Nabbeð hie no þing forȝieten of þat hie her iseien.

c. 1300.  Beket, 1956. Here names, for here schrewede: ne beoth noȝt forȝute ut [MS. Laud., 108, nout forȝite ȝuyt].

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, I. 15.

1525.  Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. lxii. [lxv.] 210. That I sholde forgete out ony thynge that I have knowen to be done.

c. 1540.  Howers of Blessed Virgin, E. & L., 104. They shall Be registred so, they shall not be forgetten.

c. 1676.  Lady Chaworth, in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Com., App. v. 34. None can drive the horse which draws them about but the D. of Monmouth Mr. Griffin and Mr. Godolphin and a fourth whose name I have forgot.

1757.  Wesley, Wks. (1872), IX. 279. Have you forgot that every man is now born in as good a state as Adam was made at first?

1845.  S. Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref., I. 387. Frederic of Saxony, as may readily be believed, did not forget his numerous wrongs and affronts, and was not to be propitiated.

1874.  Green, Short Hist., i. § 1. 5. The purely despotic system of the Roman Government, by crushing all local independence, crushed all local vigour. Men forgot how to fight for their country when they forgot how to govern it.

Prov.

c. 1530.  R. Hilles, Common-pl. Bk. (1858), 140. Seld sene sone forgotyn.

  b.  To fail to recall to mind; not to recollect.

1787.  ‘Gambado,’ Acad. Horsemen (1809), 28. He says much the same of rabbits and onions, but I forgot [? read forget] how he brings that to bear.

1847.  Marryat, Childr. N. Forest, xv. The people at the Inn in Parliament Street—I forget the sign.

  c.  const. to a person = as a matter of reproach against him. rare.

1822.  T. Moore, Diary, 31 Jan. The thing has never been forgotten to Etienne since.

  d.  absol. (or intr.)

1382.  Wyclif, Isa. xliv. 18. Thei forȝeeten, lest ther eȝen seeȝen, and lest thei vnderstoden in ther herte.

c. 1435.  Torrent of Portugal, 823.

1592.  Shaks., Rom. & Jul., I. i. 243. Farewell thou can’st not teach me to forget.

1611.  Bible, Ps. x. 11. Hee hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten.

a. 1839.  Praed, Poems (1864), I. 363, ‘Anticipation.’

18[?].  Tennyson, Flight, i.

  2.  To omit or neglect through inadvertence. Chiefly with infinitive as obj. In poetry sometimes fig. of natural agents, etc.

c. 950.  Lindisfarne Gospels, Mark x. 21. An ðe is forgeten.

c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., Matt. xvi 5. Hiȝ forgeton þæt hiȝ hlafas namon.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 1730 (Cott.). Þe folk to preche for-gate he noght.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Prioress’ T., 59.

c. 1430.  Sir Amadace (Camden), xxviii.

1548.  Hall, Chron., Edw. IV. (an. 10), 216. It semeth that God dyd neither forgeve nor forget to punishe the duke wyth condigne punishment, for violating and brekyng hys othe solempnely.

1697.  Dampier, Voy., I. xvi. 444. I quite forgot to put it into my Journal.

1710.  Pope, Windsor For., 353.

1718.  Rowe, trans. Lucan, IX. 1388.

1842.  Tennyson, The Gardener’s Daughter, 85.

  b.  To omit to take, leave behind inadvertently.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 1690 (Cott.). Fouxul ne worme forget þou noght. Ibid., 3163 (Cott.). Suerd and fire forgat he noght.

1535.  Coverdale, Deut. xxiv. 19. Whan thou hast reaped downe thine haruest in the felde, and hast forgotten a shefe in the felde, thou shalt not turne agayne to fetch it.

1596.  Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., III. i. 6.

1768.  Goldsm., Good-n. Man, IV. i. Gar. Bless me, madam, I had almost forgot the wedding ring!

1860.  Tyndall, Glac., I. xi. 72–3. We had no candles, they had been forgotten; but I fortunately possessed a box of wax matches, of which Huxley took charge, patiently igniting them in succession, and thus giving us a tolerably continuous light.

  † c.  with complementary adj. or adv. Obs.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter, vi. 6. Þat nane þe forgetyn vnpunyst.

c. 1400.  Three Kings Cologne (1886), 127. Þes þinges oure lady forgat bihynde hir whan sche ȝede oute of þat plaas in to Egypte.

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, XI. xvi. 69. Hys feris all hes hym forȝet allane.

  d.  To omit to mention, leave unnoticed, pass over inadvertently.

1538.  Elyot, Prætermitto, to leue vntouched, to forgete, to leue oute.

1548.  Hall, Chron., Hen. V. (an. 3), 49 b. I may not forget how the Frenchemen beyng in this pleasaunt pastyme, sent a herault to kyng Henry to inquyre what raunsome he wold offre.

1625.  Bacon, Ess., Cunning (Arb.), 439. When he came to haue Speech, he would passe ouer that, that he intended most, and goe forth, and come backe againe, and speake of it, as of a Thing, that he had almost forgot.

1674.  trans. Scheffer’s Lapland, 93. I had almost forgot Tobacco, of which they are very great admirers, and traffic for it as one of their cheif commodities.

1775.  S. J. Pratt, Liberal Opinions (1783), III. 187. Pray don’t forget me to your uncle.

1881.  Freeman, Subj. Venice, 166. By far the greater part of the walls, towers, and gates of Salona, not forgetting a gate which has been made out in the long walls themselves, all belong to one general style of masonry.

  3.  To cease or omit to think of, let slip out of the mind, leave out of sight, take no note of.

c. 1000.  Ags. Ps. (Th.), xii. 1. Hu lange wilt þu, Drihten, min forgitan.

c. 1200.  Vices & Virtues (1888), 7. Hie furȝiteð to swiðe hem seluen wiॠ-innen.

a. 1300.  Floriz & Bl., 497 (Camb. MS.). Ne schal ihc neure forȝete þe.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 20208 (Cott.). And þat bode forgat scho noght.

1382.  Wyclif, Ps. cxviii[i]. 176. Thin hestis I haue not forȝeten.

c. 1450.  Bk. Curtasye, 195, in Babees Bk. (1868), 305.

1593.  Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., IV. vii. 45.

1651.  Isaackson, in Fuller’s Abel Rediv., Andrewes (1867), II. 168. He forgat not his patron, Dr. Watts, at his end.

1717.  Pope, Eloisa, 207.

1797.  Nelson, Aug., in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), II. 437. I shall not be surprised to be neglected and forgot, as probably I shall no longer be considered as useful.

1888.  Miss Braddon, Fatal Three, I. v. ‘George, are you quite forgetting luncheon?’ aksed a voice from one of the open windows.

  b.  used in connection with Forgive; also absol. passing into proverb.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 124. Al þet hurt & al þet sore were uorȝiten & forȝiuen uor glednesse.

1421–2.  Hoccleve, Dialogus, 671.

1576.  A. Fleming, A Panoplie of Epistles, 380. Hee did both forgiue and forgett offences committed against his majestie.

1621.  Elsing, Debates Ho. Lords (Camden), 74. My Lord, I confesse that upon mistaking of your words I did you wronge. I am sorry for it: I praye forgive and forgett.

1775.  Sheridan, Rivals, IV. ii. Sir Anth. Come, come, Mrs. Malaprop, we must forget and forgive.

1841.  Trench, Parables, xxiv. (1877), 411. Though God may forgive, man is not therefore to forget.

  † c.  To drop the practice of (a duty, virtue, etc.); to lose the use of (one’s senses). To forget to do = to forget how to do (something). Obs.

13[?].  E. E. Allit. P., E. 203.

c. 1385.  Chaucer, L. G. W., 1752, Lucrece.

1390.  Gower, Conf., II. 20. So clene his wittes he foryete.

1590.  Shaks., Com. Err., III. ii. 1.

1670.  Milton, Hist. Eng., II. 36. The terrour of such new and resolute opposition made them forget thir wonted valour.

  4.  In stronger sense: To neglect willfully, take no thought of, disregard, overlook, slight.

1297.  R. Glouc. (1724), 445.

c. 1340.  Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 2031.

1380.  Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 201. Þis lore is forȝete, and þe fendis lore take.

a. 1400–50.  Alexander, 3276. The gome þat hys god forgatt.

1571.  G. Buchanan, Admonitioun to the Trew Lordis, Wks. (1892), 21. It may seame to ȝour ll. that I melling w^t hie materis of governing of commoun weill pas myne estait being of sa meane qualitie and forȝettis my devoir geving to the counsale to the wysest of this realme.

a. 1703.  Burkitt, On N. T., Jas. ii. 5. The first Choice that Christ made of Persons to be his Followers were poor Men; and ever since, generally speaking, they are the Poor that receive the Gospel: God has more Rent, and better paid him; from a smoaky Cottage than from many stately Palaces, where Men wallow in wealth and forget God.

1797.  Mrs. Radcliffe, Italian, ii. Why should I be in danger of forgetting what is due to my father, when I am only asserting what is due to innocence; when I am only defending her, who has no other to defend her!

  5.  To forget oneself. a. To omit care for oneself. b. To lose remembrance of one’s own station, position, or character; to lose sight of the requirements of dignity, propriety, or decorum; to behave unbecomingly. † c. To lose one’s way. d. To lose consciousness.

  a.  a. 1200.  Moral Ode, 25.

a. 1225.  Leg. Kath., 1377.

  b.  1593.  Shaks., Rich. II., III. ii. 83. Aum. Comfort, my liege; remember who you are. K. Rich. I had forgot myself: am I not king?

a. 1627.  Middleton & Rowley, Changeling, III. iv.

1697.  Collier, Immor. Stage, i. 4. Jacinta, Elvira, Dalinda … forget themselves extreamly: And almost all the Characters in the Old Batchelour, are foul and nauseous.

1794.  Nelson, 29 July, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), I. 462. He was very uncivil, but these Agents forget themselves very much.

1856.  Reade, Never too Late, xi. How is he to answer my question, if he holds his tongue? You forget yourself.

1891.  C. Lowe, The German Newspaper Press, 19th Cent., XXX. Dec., 856. The manner in which the ex-Chancellor himself exercised this prosecuting power when any public writer or speaker so far forgot himself as to indulge in the pastime of Bismarck-Beliedigung, or, as it might be freely rendered, ‘Bismarck-badgering.’

  c.  1582.  N. Lichefield, trans. Castanheda’s Conq. E. Ind., xl. 93 b. The Captaine Generall beeing desirous thereof, founde vppon a sodeine missing one of his greate Shippes, in the which went Sancho de Toar, vnto whome it did well appeare, by reason it was night, that he had forgotten himselfe.

  d.  1393.  Gower, Conf., II. 21.

c. 1430.  Syr Gener. (Roxb.), 7561.

1717.  Pope, Eloisa, 23.

Mod.  I was nearly asleep, I had just forgotten myself.

  Hence Forgetter, one who forgets.

1398.  Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XII. vii. (1495), 417. The coluoure is … foryeter of wronges.

c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 174/1. Fonȝetare [v.r. forgeter], immemor.

1613.  Beaum. & Fl., Captain, IV. iii.

1755.  Johnson, Forgetter, a careless person.

1826.  Lamb, Elia, Ser. II. Pop. Fallacies. We are not so stupid, or so careless as that imperial forgetter of his dreams, that we should need a seer to remind us of the form of them.

1869.  Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., Ps. ix. 17. Warning to forgetters of God.