For

Preposition

introduces a complement of interest

beneficiary

-Who did you buy it for? -I bought it for her.

• For many people, the financial crisis of 2008 was truly a shock.

goal / end

• We headed for home. // We're headed for a rude awakening.
• They made off for the woods.
• We're hoping for the best.
• I don't want for them to come. ("for" is dialectal, but widespread)

What should I get her for her birthday?

Purpose

• What would you use it for?
• What did you do that for?
• Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?

Introduces agent in Infinitivals

• It's unusual for her to complain // For her to complain is unusual.

Conjunction

similar syntactically and semantically to car, and semantically similar to puisque (subordinating conjunction)

Its use alone as a conjunction (not found before 12c.) probably is a shortening of common Old English phrases such as for þon þy "therefore," literally "for the (reason) that.

-Online Etymology dictionary [1]</i>

• Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
  • see the Beatitudes for some further examples.
• Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?

Idioms

• To stand for (1). I won't stand for it! (I won't put up with it.)
• To stand for (2).

Derived words

for and fore adverb were differentiated in Middle English

aforementioned before therefore wherefore

unrelated prefix

for- from Germanic vor- (privative)