Definition of the word put forth

The origin of the word "put forth" can be traced back to Middle English, a stage of the English language that developed from the 1100s to the 1400s. In Middle English, the phrase that would eventually become "put forth" was "putteth forð." The prefix "for-" in this phrase is an Old English preposition that meant "forward" or "onward." In the context of "putteth forð," "for-" meant that something was being moved or advanced. The verb "putten" in Old English meant to place, put, or set something down, and it evolved into "putteth" by the Middle English period. The grammatical structure of "putteth forð" reflected Middle English verb inflections, which indicated the subject, tense, and mood of the verb. In this case, the subject was third person singular ("he," "she," or "it"), and the verb form indicated the present tense and indicative mood. Over time, the Middle English form "putteth forþ" was shortened to "putteth fut," and eventually to "putteth froot," which became "putteth forth" in Early Modern English. Today, "put forth" is used in literary or formal contexts to indicate the idea of making something visible, apparent, or active, such as "He put forth a great effort" or "The flowers put forth buds in the spring."