thwarten

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English thwertenen, equivalent to thwart +‎ -en.

Verb

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thwarten (third-person singular simple present thwartens, present participle thwartening, simple past and past participle thwartened)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To be positioned contrary to; be set against; oppose; hinder
    • 1967, International Quarterly Journal Devoted to the Study of Fiscal Policy and Related Problems:
      It is e.g. frivolous — and in the longer run thwartens the wishes of the tax stabilizers — if accidental declines in expenditures are without much justification used for new (and more or less permanent) tasks.
    • 1981, T. D. Guyenne, G. Lévy, Plasma astrophysics:
      Small scale magnetic turbulence may quench the instability; the galactic differential rotation also tends to thwarten the growth of the longest modes.
    • 1988, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture:
      [] (2) that the expansion of agricultural production for export purposes did not thwarten food production, and (3) that rural poverty had been reduced and the quality of life had been improved.