The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is…

foray (noun, verb):

noun
1: a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid
2: an initial and often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different field or area of activity

verb
1: to make a raid or brief invasion
2 : to do or attempt something outside one’s accustomed sphere : to enter into a new or different field or area of activity
3 archaic : to ravage in search of spoils

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology :For centuries, foray referred only to a sudden or irregular invasion or attack, but in the late 19th century it began to venture into gentler semantic territory. While the newer sense of foray still involves a trek into a foreign territory, the travel is figurative: when you make this kind of foray, you dabble in an area, occupation, or pastime that’s new to you. Take the particularly apt example (stay tuned) of mushroom hunting. The likely ancestor of foray is an Anglo-French word referring to the violent sort who do invasion forays, but that word could also refer to a forager—that is, one who wanders in search of food. (Forage has the same etymological source.) Interestingly, foray has seen a resurgence of use connected to its foraging roots, as evidenced by the growing popularity of mycophile-led mushroom “forays” that have been lately popping up like toadstools.

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