forestay

Etymology 1

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

noun

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

verb

1. (transitive) To stay beforehand; secure or fasten with or as with a forestay.
   Anna decided not to press that subject and forestayed her mind to change tack. 2008, Alfred Fox, Anna's Story: Basset Mead

Etymology 2

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

verb

1. (transitive) To stay, delay, postpone, or hinder beforehand; forestall; prevent.
   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. 1954, Osteopathic Magazine - Volumes 41-42 - Page 75
   … 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. 1965, United States Joint Publications Research Service, Translations on People's Republic of China