forster

See also: Forster and Förster

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

forster

1. Alternative form of forester
   • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, General Prologue, The Canterbury Tales, line 116-117:

     An horn he bar, the bawdrik was of grene;
     A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse.

     He carried a horn, the shoulder strap was green;
     He was a forester, truly, as I guess.

Etymology 2

Noun

forster

1. (hypercorrect) Alternative form of foster

Usage notes

• This form is a hypercorrection reflecting two Middle English phonological tendencies:
  • The tendency for /r/ to be lost before /s/ (especially before /st/); compare gost, alternative form of gorst.
  • The tendency for /r/ to be lost due to dissimilation before another /r/; compare capentrie, alternative form of carpentrie.
• While forms reflective of these trends usually do not prevail in standard Modern English (though note bass, smother), they often survive in dialectal and informal speech; compare bust, hoss with burst, horse.