Etymology 1
From Middle English forestallen (“to forestall, intercept, ambush, way-lay”), from forestalle (“a forestalling, interception”), from Old English foresteall (“intervention, hindrance of justice, ambush”), from fore- (“ahead of, before”) + steall (“position”), equivalent to fore- + stall.
Verb
forestall (third-person singular simple present forestalls, present participle forestalling, simple past and past participle forestalled)
- (transitive) To prevent, delay or hinder something by taking precautionary or anticipatory measures; to avert.
Fred forestalled disaster by his prompt action.
- (transitive) To preclude or bar from happening, render impossible.
In French, an aspired h forestalls elision.
- (archaic) To purchase the complete supply of a good, particularly foodstuffs, in order to charge a monopoly price.
- To anticipate, to act foreseeingly.
1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:What need a man forestall his date of grief, / And run to meet what he would most avoid?
- To deprive (with of).
1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:All the better; may / This night forestall him of the coming day!
- (UK, law) To obstruct or stop up, as a road; to stop the passage of a highway; to intercept on the road, as goods on the way to market.
Etymology 2
From Middle English forstal, from Old English foresteall (“an intervention, hindrance (of justice), ambush, assault, offence of waylaying on the highway, fine for such an offence, resistance, opposition”), equivalent to fore- + stall.