Forge v.¹

Also 5 forgyn, 5, 7 fourge, 6 fordge, forge. [ad. OF. forgier (Fr. forger):—L. fabricāre: see FABRICATE.]

  1.  trans. To make, fashion, frame, or construct (any material thing); = FABRICATE v. 1. Obs. exc. as coincident with transf. use of 2. To forge together: to frame together, weld.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 28395 (Cott.).

1382.  Wyclif, Exod. iv. 11. The Lorde seide to hym, Who made the mouth of man, or who forgide the dowmbe and the deef, the seer and the blynde?

1393.  Gower, Conf., III. 67.

a. 1450.  Le Morte Arth., 964.

c. 1475.  The Romans of Partenay, 6103.

1578.  Banister, Hist. Man, I. 9. This same bone Occiput, it seemeth to be forged with fiue sides.

1624.  Heywood, Gunaik., I. 17. In Ceres right hand was the image of Victorie most curiouslie forged.

1812.  H. & J. Smith, Rej. Addr., 3.

  2.  To shape by heating in a forge and hammering; to beat into shape; † to coin (money). Also with out.

13[?].  E. E. Allit. P., B 343. Wen hit watȝ fettled & forged & to þe fulle grayþed.

c. 1477.  Caxton, Jason, 72 b. After thys was ordeyned that ther sholde be forgid moneye in the cite.

a. 1533.  Ld. Berners, Huon, xliv. 148. Cursyd be he of Mahunde that forgyd thy sword.

1568.  Grafton, Chron., II. 364. Sirs, be you pacient a little and beare wyth vs, for they forge in Fraunce newe Floreyns wherewith ye shall be payde.

1703.  Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 28. The Key-hole being finished, forge your Key.

1782.  Cowper, Charity, 237. Sin forged, and ignorance made fast, the chain.

1845.  G. P. R. James, Arrah Neil, ii. Did you ever see a blacksmith forge a horse-shoe?

  fig.  1601.  Bp. W. Barlow, Serm. Paules Crosse, 39. The iustifying of an ill execution vpon a good purpose and meaning, is the vtter subuersion of all religion and policie: an opinion forged at the fire of hell, and hammered at the Anuile of the Popes faculties.

1682.  Sir T. Browne, Chr. Mor., II. § 2. If the substantial subject be well forged out, we need not examine the sparks, which irregularly fly from it.

1853.  C. Brontë, Villette, xxxvi. Out of men’s afflictions and affections were forged the rivets of their servitude.

  b.  absol. or intr. To work at the forge; to do smith’s work.

1382.  Wyclif, Ps. cxxviii[ix]. 3. Vpon my bac forgeden [fabricaverunt] synneres.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Pars. T., ¶ 480. In this forseyde develes fourneys ther forgen three shrewes.

14[?].  Lydg. & Burgh, Secrees, 2133.

1605.  Verstegan, Dec. Intell., ix. 310.

1763.  J. Clubbe, Physiognomy, 18. They can hew out the scantlings of a Fabrick, but not put them together; they can saw, but not plane; they can forge, but not polish.

  † c.  To forge and file: to bring into shape, fashion completely, make ready. Obs.

c. 1381.  Chaucer, Parl. Foules, 211.

1447.  Bokenham, Seyntys (Roxb.), 13.

1626.  T. H[awkins], trans. Caussin’s Holy Crt., 424. It was in her shop, where all these Councells plotted for his ruine, were forged, & fyled.

  † 3.  To frame or fashion (something immaterial); to contrive, devise, invent. Obs. exc. as in 4.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 12550.

c. 1430.  Lydg., Bochas, VI. i. (1554), 145 b. Lyke your conceytes ye forge me & painte.

1562.  Winȝet, Bk. 83 Quest., To the Christiane Reidar, Wks. (1887–8), I. 52. Forgeing thair sermonis for the plesuir of euery auditour.

  † b.  To invent, ‘coin’ (a word, etc.). Obs.

1549.  Coverdale, etc., Erasm. Par. 1 Cor. i. 13. Why then forge ye to your selfes any other name, than his whose benefite and free gifte this is?

1571.  Digges, Pantom., III. Introd. Q. I haue chosen to vse the accustomable and auncient names well knowen to any trauelled in Geometrie, rather than to forge newe English wordes which can neither so breefly nor so aptly expresse the like effecte.

1605.  Camden, Rem. (1637), 78. Some thinke it [Lancelot] to be no ancient name, but forged by the writer of King Arthurs historie for one of his doughty knights.

1690.  Locke, Hum. Und., III. viii. 230. Those few [Names of Substances] that the Schools forged, and put into the mouths of their Scholars, could never yet get admittance into common use, or obtain the license of publick approbation.

  4.  esp. To fabricate, frame, invent (a false or imaginary story, lie, etc.); to devise (evil). Also, to pretend (something) to have happened, to fable.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Pars. T., ¶ 536. Another lesing cometh of delit for to lie, in which delit they wol forge a long tale, and peint it with all circumstances, wher all the ground of the tale is false.

c. 1440.  Partonope, 4459. Anone She forged a fayre lesyng.

1545.  Brinkelow, Compl., 24 b. Than the matter was forged that he hangyd hymselfe.

1547.  Homilies, I. Falling fr. God, I. (1859), 82. Let no man forge evil in his heart against his brother.

1647–8.  Joseph Beaumont, Psyche, XV. cxli.

1752.  Fielding, Amelia, II. ii. I therefore forged a meeting to have been between me and my imaginary mistress.

1794.  Godwin, Cal. Williams, 289. Who had forged the basest and most atrocious falsehoods, and urged them with a seriousness and perseverance which produced universal belief?

1859.  Kingsley, Misc. (1860), I. 77. If a charge came under my hand, it was forged by that villain Wade, by writing something above my hand, without my consent or knowledge.

1876.  E. Mellor, Priesth., vii. 334. And the scribes, those eager and relentless enemies of Christ, ever listening for words which they could forge into accusations, found here, as they thought, enough to prove Him guilty of death, and angrily inquired, ‘Why does this man thus speak blasphemies: who can forgive sins but God only?’

1887.  Stevenson, Mem. & Portraits, vii. 111. And indeed the hope was one of those that childhood forges for a pastime, and with no design upon reality.

  absol.  1580.  Lyly Euphues (Arb.), 298. Ther was in court a Gentleman, not vnknown vnto thee, nor I think vnbeloued of thee, whose name I will not conceale, least thou shouldest eyther thinke me to forge, or him not worthy to be named.

1610.  Cooke, Pope Joan, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), IV. 10. They are driven to feign, to forge, to cog, to play the fools, and, in plain English, to lye all manner of lyes for the covering of their shame in this.

  5.  To make (something) in fraudulent imitation of something else; to make or devise (something spurious) in order to pass it off as genuine.

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 155. Þat was a fals brefe, & forged wele, it semes.

1494.  Fabyan, Chron. V. cxxiii. 100. He then vsyd gyle where strengthe myght not preuayle, and deuysed or forged certeyn letters in the name of Brunechieldys.

1552.  Huloet, Forge or falsifie a writinge as chartre, dede, or testament.

1605.  Lond. Prodigal, III. iii.

1635.  Pagitt, Christianogr., III. (1636), 94. Many of these their Reliques were forged, as at Towres, the Image of Venus in an Agate was worshipped instead of the Image of the blessed Virgin.

1712.  Steele, Spect., No. 264, 2 Jan., ¶ 3. He has carried his Skill in Imitation so far, as to have forged a Letter from my Friend Sir ROGER in such a manner, that any one but I who am thoroughly acquainted with him, would have taken it for Genuine.

1741.  C. Middleton, Cicero (1742), III. xi. 241. Nothing was more common, than to have sayings forged for his, which he had never spoken.

1845.  S. Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref., III. ii. 47. Elector Joachim demanded, as did Duke George, that the name of the liar who had forged this treaty should be published, lest people should think the landgrave himself had invented it.

1891.  E. Peacock, Narcissa Brendon, I. 81. Forge a pedigree if you haven’t one.

  b.  To imitate fraudulently; to counterfeit.

1536.  Act 27 Hen. VIII., c. 2. If anie person … falsely forge and counterfaite the kinges signe manuel.

1677.  Wood, Life (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), II. 392. Thomas Frankland sometimes of Brasnose had forged the University seal.

1887.  R. Buchanan, Heir of Linne, v. They looked me up and down, as if I had stolen the cheque or forged the laird’s name.

  6.  intr. To commit forgery.

1591.  Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., III. i. 12.

1738.  Pope, Epil. Sat., II. 190. But Pens can forge, my Friend, that cannot write.

1855.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., IV. 245. Having narrowly escaped the gallows, he wandered during several years about Ireland and England, begging, stealing, cheating, personating, forging, and lay in many prisons under many names.

1885.  Tennyson, Despair, xii.