The simple past tense of 'forbear,' meaning to restrain oneself, refrain from doing something, or tolerate patiently.
From Old English 'forberan,' combining 'for-' (completely, away) + 'beran' (to bear/carry). Originally meant to carry away or endure, then evolved to mean self-restraint and patient tolerance.
There are two different 'forbear' verbs that sound identical—one means 'ancestor' (pronounced 'FOR-bear') and one means 'to refrain' (pronounced 'for-BARE'), showing how English homophones can hide completely different words.
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