also 3–6 aforce, 4 aforse, afforse. [a. OFr. aforce-r, in one of its senses a variant of OFr. efforce-r, earlier esforce-r, esforcie-r:—late L. exfortiā-re, f. ex out + late L. fortiā-re to make strong, f. forti-s strong; in the other perh. a distinct formation on L. ad to + fortiāre. The med. L. afforciāre seems to be formed on the Fr.]
I. To apply force (= Fr. efforcer).
† 1. To apply force to; to force, to compel. Obs.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 789. Faste he sat, and huld the reyne … And aforced hit [the colt] by streynthe.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merlin, 3285. Arthour aforced him to deie.
† b. To force, to ravish, to violate. Obs.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merlin, 2360. He hath me of vilanie besought, Me to aforce is in his thought.
† 2. refl. To force or strengthen oneself (to do a thing); to exert oneself, to do one’s best, to try. (OFr. s’aforcer, mod. s’efforcer.) Obs.
1297. R. Glouc., 121. And heo a forcede hom þe more, þe heþene a way to dryue.
c. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Treat. (1866), 8. Deuells þat afforces tham to reue fra vs þe hony of poure lyfe and of grace.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, I. 228. Þat wold doutles be done … wold þu afforce þe perfore. Ibid., XXVII. 11129. Thai afforset hom felly … The vilany to venge.
a. 1528. Skelton, Magnificence, 257. Herein I will aforce me to show you my mynde.
† 3. trans. To endeavor, attempt, or try. Obs.
1523. Skelton, Garl. Laurel, 818. Ye must nedis afforce it by pretence of your professioun unto umanyte. Ibid. (a. 1528), Bowge of Crt., 17. I was sore moued to aforce the same.
II. To add force (? properly OFr. aforcer).
† 4. To add force to; to strengthen, fortify, reinforce. Obs.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XV. 6593. Then Menesteus … afforsit hys frekys to þe fight harde.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas (1554), II. xvii. 66/1. And tafforce them, let workmen vndertake Square bastiles and bulwarkes to make.
5. Eng. Const. Hist. To reinforce or strengthen a deliberative body by the addition of new members; as a jury by skilled assessors, or persons acquainted with the facts. [In this sense med. L. afforciāre is found in contemporary records; see Blount: ‘Afforcietur assisa, let the Witnesses be encreased,’ (rather, ‘Let the Assise or bench be reinforced or afforced’).]
1818. Hallam, Middle Ages (1872), II. 399. It was the practice to afforce the jury.
1870. Stubbs, Sel. Charters, Introd. 24. The jurors are at first witnesses of the fact; as business increases they are, under Edward I, afforced by the addition of persons better acquainted with the matter; a further step separates these afforcing jurors from the original twelve.
