aforesaid
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of aforesaid
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at afore, said 1
Explanation
Something aforesaid was stated or mentioned earlier — early enough for someone to remember. If you leave a tray of freshly baked cookies on the counter and announce to your family not to eat them yet, you'll be asking about the aforesaid cookies when ten of them are missing from the tray. On a more serious note, the word aforesaid is often used in formal writing or legal documents. For example, an informational pamphlet about where to return items at the local library might say, "The aforesaid items must be returned to the front desk or the drop box by the due date." This word helps point back to something already discussed, making it clear which specific thing you are talking about. It’s useful for keeping communication clear and precise.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He is described as a man who had “poked his chin up sideways, carrying his nose with that aforesaid appearance of ‘sniff,’ as though despising an egg which he knew he could not digest.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
“It is established that from the aforesaid sum of 50,000 bottles of contaminated baby syrups, 41,462 bottles have been quarantined/seized... and 8,538 bottles remained unaccounted for,” the statement said, adding that investigations were ongoing.
From Reuters • Oct. 11, 2022
I must list them all to slight none: “A Good American Family,” by David Maraniss; “The Library Book,” by Susan Orlean; “The Dutch House,” by Ann Patchett; and my aforesaid goddaughter’s book.
From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2019
A satirical study of the universal insecurities and hierarchical struggles of West African teenage girls, the play receives first-class treatment from director Nicole A. Watson and a cast eager to spread the aforesaid joy.
From Washington Post • Sep. 24, 2019
For the aforesaid fury of that stone could have derived from more than one cause.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
