foreganger

English

Etymology

From Middle English forganger, forgangere, from Old English *foregangere, from foregangan (“to go before, precede, go in front of, project, excel”), equivalent to fore- +‎ ganger. Cognate with Scots foregangare (“a foregoer”), Dutch voorganger (“a predecessor, progenitor”), German Vorgänger (“a predecessor, precursor”), Swedish föregångare (“a forerunner, precursor, progenitor”).

Noun

foreganger (plural foregangers)

1. (archaic, rare) One who or that which goes before; a forerunner; a harbinger; a predecessor.
2. (nautical) A short rope grafted on a harpoon, to which a longer line may be attached.
   • 1820, William Scoresby, The whale-fishery:

     The foreganger is most commonly formed of white or untarred rope , which is stronger and more flexible than tarred rope , consequently more easily extended when the harpoon is thrown

References

• “foreganger”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.