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# The BFD Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-bfd-word-of-the-day-1322/
- Published: 2023-09-12T18:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2023-07-09T18:57:18.000Z
- Author: David Theobald
- Tags: General, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-16 22:22

The word for today is…

thwart (verb, adverb, adjective, noun):

*verb* 1a: to oppose successfully : defeat the hopes or aspirations of  
b: to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle : contravene  
2: to pass through or across

*adverb (often nautical)*: athwart

*adjective*: situated or placed across something else : transverse

*noun*: a seat extending athwart a boat

Source : [Merriam -Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thwart?ref=goodoil.news)

Etymology : A rare treat today; a word that has meaning in all the four main categories of English words. Try to compile a long list of words in English that begin with “thw,” and prepare to be thwarted in your attempt: there aren’t many, and a goodly portion of those that do exist, such as thwartwise and the now-obsolete thwartsaw, start with thwart itself. Today we mostly use thwart as a verb to mean “to defeat or oppose successfully” but a lesser-known meaning of the word is “to pass through or across.” And it’s that sense that points to the origin of this odd-sounding word. In early Middle English, thwert was an adverb meaning “across” or “transversely,” used to describe how something lies across the length of something else. The verb thwerten came from this adverb and eventually became thwart. The link between the meanings becomes clear if you think of thwarting a plan, effort, etc., as blocking a road or path, thereby impeding another’s progress. And if you’re at cross-purposes with someone, you two are mutually—even if unintentionally—thwarting each other’s plans.

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