forster

== Middle English == === Etymology 1 === ==== Noun ==== forster alternative form of forester late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, General Prologue, The Canterbury Tales, line 116-117: === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== forster (hypercorrect) alternative form of foster ===== Usage notes ===== This form is a hypercorrection reflecting two Middle English phonological tendencies: The tendency for /r/ to be lost before /s/ (especially before /st/); compare gost, alternative form of gorst. The tendency for /r/ to be lost due to dissimilation before another /r/; compare capentrie, alternative form of carpentrie. While forms reflective of these trends usually do not prevail in standard Modern English (though note bass, smother), they often survive in dialectal and informal speech; compare bust, hoss with burst, horse.