I have not found "press" before 1066, or in O.E. before. Where can I find that? To my knowledge "press" is from about the 13th century; meaning "printing press" is from about the 16th c.; meaning "pressing clothes, grapes, asf" is from about the end of the 1300's.

"shaft and geshaft both seem to have a root meaning of life"

Yes, if the word 'shaft' (sceaft) is taken from O.E. scieppan. The ending "-ship" < "-sceaft" < "=sciep(e)" < P.Gmc *-skapaz < "scieppan" < P.Gmc *skapjanan. cf. shape (P.Gmc *skapan) is from this root.

O.E. ġesceaft < P.Gmc *ga- (pp prefix) "whole, finished deed" + P.Gmc *skapjana(n) (verb) "to make, shape, create + P.Gmc *-þiz (ending to make strong abstract nouns & verbs; latter-day English -th); same root as above.

O.E. sceaft (P.Gmc. *skafta-, *skaftaz "to scrape, shave; to dig"; cf. OHG skaft), meaning "a long slender cylindrical body or part; a rod-like thing"; seamingly not akin to O.E. scafan (P.Gmc *skabanan) "to shave" or O.E. sceafa (P.Gmc *skabô) "shaving tool". It seems the root is altogether something not akin to O.E. scieppan.

I have not yet found a steadfast link between the two seemingly the same words. If you have some telling book or website, I'd be beholden to you. Danke im Voraus!

*Forþgesceaft

I. the created things, creation, world, "Fyrn forþgesceaft Fæder ealle bewát" (the Father guards all the ancient creation)

II. the future world, state, or condition, "He ða forþgesceaft forgyteþ and forgýmeþ" (he forgets and neglects the future)

There are more Frankish words in English and in French (especially Norman-French) than academics (Francophiles in particular) care to admit. They are hard to find, since French speech and spelling is so...shall we say..."special"?

Take the French word échanson "grand, royal butler"

O.E. þryccan (< PGmc.*þrukjanan "crowd, press") >> latter-day English thrutch -- 1. "to push, press; to crowd, throng; squeeze; to trouble, oppress; to thrust; to wriggle between to surfaces 2. (Northern English) a narrow, fast-moving stream

O.E. forðgesceaft = "forward destiny"

Oh, also look at:

O.E. (verb) scieppan (PGmc *skapjanan) >> "to shape, mould, form, create, make"; cf. Gothic gaskapjan, German schaffen, O.Fris. skeppa, O.N. skapa. It is in today's English the word "shape" (O.E. ġesceap)

MfG

O.E. ġesceaft > destiny; something done; something made; a creature; a creation. (cf. German geschafft "managed, done, executed, pulled off, worked").

German ending -schaft is cognate with Dutch -schap, Swesish -skap, English ending -ship >>>>>>>>> O.E.ending -sciepe (PGmc. *-skapjaz "state of being, condition, position, rank", cf. O.N. -skapr, OHG -scaf, OSax -skepi.

O.E. sceaft (PGmc.*skaftaz) is another word altogether. cf. der Schaft (w/ capital letter), Dutch schacht.

empirical >> I saw this work, I made this work, I felt this work, and I know this works because I have tried it.

theoretical >> I guess this works, I think this works, but I don't really know because I haven't tried it.

atheist = unbeliever, godless, heathen

agnostic (coined by the English biologist T.H. Huxley, c.1869) = unknowable (philosophy the Unknowable the ultimate reality that underlies all phenomena but cannot be known

adhere > English "cling to, stick to"; "to follow [rules, principles]", "cleave to", "be true to", "fulfill", "heed", "keep", "mind"

inherent > English "inbred", "built in", "inborn", "deep rooted"

Smash them together >> adherent (Latin adhaerent --> ad "to" + haerēre "to stick" + -ent) = "to stick to a [leader]"; Englsih " a follower"

Firsthand >> could mean I experienced it or you experienced it or they experienced it...the knowledge is derived first hand, not necessarily by oneself. Right?