*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of foray

From Middle English forrayen (“to pillage”), a back-formation of forrayour, forreour, forrier (“raider, pillager”), from Old French forrier, fourrier, a derivative of fuerre (“provender, fodder, straw”), from Frankish *f

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To participate in a foray. · To do or attempt something outside one's typical area of expertise. · To scour an area for goods as part of a foray.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English forrayen (“to pillage”), a back-formation of forrayour, forreour, forrier (“raider, pillager”), from Old French forrier, fourrier, a derivative of fuerre (“provender, fodder, straw”), from Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”), from Proto-Indo-European *patrom (“fodder”), *pat- (“to feed”), *pāy- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with Old High German fuotar (German Futter (“fodder, feed”)), Old English fōdor, fōþer (“food, fodder, covering, case, basket”), Dutch voeder (“forage, food, feed”), Danish foder (“fodder, feed”), Icelandic fóður (“fodder, sheath”). More at fodder, food, forage.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionforrayenenm · to pillage
  • Derivation mentionforrierfro
  • Derivation mention*fōdrągem-pro · fodder, feed, sheath
  • Derivation mention*patromine-pro · fodder
  • Cognate mentionfuotargoh
  • Cognate mentionFutterde · fodder, feed
  • Cognate mentionfōdorang
  • Cognate mentionvoedernl · forage, food, feed
  • Cognate mentionfoderda · fodder, feed
  • Cognate mentionfóðuris · fodder, sheath
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "forrayen",
        "t": "to pillage"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English forrayen (“to pillage”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "forrier"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French forrier"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*fōdar",
        "t": "fodder, sheath"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*fōdrą",
        "t": "fodder, feed, sheath"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*patrom",
        "t": "fodder"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *patrom (“fodder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "fuotar"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German fuotar"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Futter",
        "t": "fodder, feed"
      },
      "expansion": "German Futter (“fodder, feed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "fōdor"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fōdor"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "voeder",
        "t": "forage, food, feed"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch voeder (“forage, food, feed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "foder",
        "t": "fodder, feed"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish foder (“fodder, feed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "fóður",
        "t": "fodder, sheath"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic fóður (“fodder, sheath”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "forrayen",
      "forrayen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "forrayour",
      "forrayour#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "forreour",
      "forreour#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "forrier",
      "forrier#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "forrier",
      "forrier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "fourrier",
      "fourrier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "fuerre",
      "fuerre#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*fōdar",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/fōdar"
    ],
    [
      "*fōdrą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fōdrą"
    ],
    [
      "*patrom",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/patrom"
    ],
    [
      "*pat-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pat-"
    ],
    [
      "*pāy-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pāy-"
    ],
    [
      "fuotar",
      "fuotar#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "Futter",
      "Futter#German"
    ],
    [
      "fōdor",
      "fodor#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "fōþer",
      "foþer#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "voeder",
      "voeder#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "foder",
      "foder#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "fóður",
      "fóður#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "fodder",
      "fodder#English"
    ],
    [
      "food",
      "food#English"
    ],
    [
      "forage",
      "forage#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "fforio",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To participate in a foray.",
        "To do or attempt something outside one's typical area of expertise.",
        "To scour an area for goods as part of a foray."
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        "archaic",
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}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A sudden or irregular incursion in border warfare; hence, any irregular incursion for war or spoils; a raid. · A brief excursion or attempt, especially outside one's accustomed sphere.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English forrayen (“to pillage”), a back-formation of forrayour, forreour, forrier (“raider, pillager”), from Old French forrier, fourrier, a derivative of fuerre (“provender, fodder, straw”), from Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”), from Proto-Indo-European *patrom (“fodder”), *pat- (“to feed”), *pāy- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with Old High German fuotar (German Futter (“fodder, feed”)), Old English fōdor, fōþer (“food, fodder, covering, case, basket”), Dutch voeder (“forage, food, feed”), Danish foder (“fodder, feed”), Icelandic fóður (“fodder, sheath”). More at fodder, food, forage.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionforrayenenm · to pillage
  • Derivation mentionforrierfro
  • Derivation mention*fōdrągem-pro · fodder, feed, sheath
  • Derivation mention*patromine-pro · fodder
  • Cognate mentionfuotargoh
  • Cognate mentionFutterde · fodder, feed
  • Cognate mentionfōdorang
  • Cognate mentionvoedernl · forage, food, feed
  • Cognate mentionfoderda · fodder, feed
  • Cognate mentionfóðuris · fodder, sheath
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "forrayen",
        "t": "to pillage"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English forrayen (“to pillage”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "forrier"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French forrier"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*fōdar",
        "t": "fodder, sheath"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*fōdrą",
        "t": "fodder, feed, sheath"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*patrom",
        "t": "fodder"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *patrom (“fodder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "fuotar"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German fuotar"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Futter",
        "t": "fodder, feed"
      },
      "expansion": "German Futter (“fodder, feed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "fōdor"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fōdor"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "voeder",
        "t": "forage, food, feed"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch voeder (“forage, food, feed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
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        "t": "fodder, feed"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "fóður",
        "t": "fodder, sheath"
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    }
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    [
      "forrayen",
      "forrayen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "forrayour",
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    ],
    [
      "forreour",
      "forreour#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "forrier",
      "forrier#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "forrier",
      "forrier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "fourrier",
      "fourrier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "fuerre",
      "fuerre#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*fōdar",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/fōdar"
    ],
    [
      "*fōdrą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fōdrą"
    ],
    [
      "*patrom",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/patrom"
    ],
    [
      "*pat-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pat-"
    ],
    [
      "*pāy-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pāy-"
    ],
    [
      "fuotar",
      "fuotar#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "Futter",
      "Futter#German"
    ],
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      "fōdor",
      "fodor#Old_English"
    ],
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      "fōþer",
      "foþer#Old_English"
    ],
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      "voeder",
      "voeder#Dutch"
    ],
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      "foder#Danish"
    ],
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      "fóður#Icelandic"
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        "A sudden or irregular incursion in border warfare; hence, any irregular incursion for war or spoils; a raid.",
        "A brief excursion or attempt, especially outside one's accustomed sphere."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for foray →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Zm9yYXk