Etymology

Either formed from OE for + gart (v.) or, as suggested by MED and EVG (and Goll, who also compares gare), directly from ON cp. OIcel fyrirgøra (cp. OEN forgøra, OWN fyrgøra) ‘to forfeit’. See further gareʒ (v.).

PGmc Ancestor

*garwa-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

gǫrr (neut. gǫr-t), pp. of gera, gør(v)a 'to make, do'
(ONP gera (1) (vb.); forgera (v.), fyrgera (v.), fyrirgera (v.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far ger-, Icel ger, ODan gør, Dan gør-, OSw gor, gör;

OE Cognate

cp. gearu (adj.) ‘ready’

Phonological and morphological markers

absence of palatalization of */ɡ/

Summary category

A1*c

Attestation

MED and OED cite only a handful of forms with the prefix, incl. instances from Orrm, Cl,  c1400 I þonke þe lord (Sim) and The Complaint of the Plowman (Wright 1859: I, 344). See also gareʒ (v.).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Pe 321; Cl 240

Bibliography

MED forgāren (v.) , OED forgar (v.) , HTOED , Dance gart, Bj. 151-2, de Vries gera; gǫrr, Mag gera (1); ger (3), Bj-L. gjøre, Heid. garwa-, Orel *ʒarwaz; *ʒarwjan-, Kroonen *garwa-; *garwjan-, AEW gearu; gierwan