forestay

From Middle English forstay, forstey, vorstey, equivalent to fore- +‎ stay (“a stay, rope”).

• forstay

forestay (plural forestays)

1. (nautical) A stay that extends from the top of the foremast to the bow or bowsprit of a sailing ship

• backstay

forestay (third-person singular simple present forestays, present participle forestaying, simple past and past participle forestayed)

1. (transitive) To stay beforehand; secure or fasten with or as with a forestay.
   • 2008, Alfred Fox, Anna's Story: Basset Mead:

     Anna decided not to press that subject and forestayed her mind to change tack.

From fore- +‎ stay (“to hold off, postpone, delay”).

• forstay (Scotland)

forestay (third-person singular simple present forestays, present participle forestaying, simple past and past participle forestayed)

1. (transitive) To stay, delay, postpone, or hinder beforehand; forestall; prevent.
   • 1954, Osteopathic Magazine - Volumes 41-42 - Page 75:

     It is reasonable to suppose that further research into the complex bio-chemistry of the blood will result in more satisfactory substitutes for plasma than are now available and thereby death may be more easily forestayed.

   • 1965, United States Joint Publications Research Service, Translations on People's Republic of China:

     [...] in our capital construction plan, we might not plan the manufacture of equipment according to storage, thus delaying the sale of our manufactured equipment and forestaying return on investment by equipment manufacturing agencies.