forefather

English

Etymology

Possibly directly from Old Norse forfaðir.

Pronunciation

• (RP) enPR: fôʹfä'thə, IPA: /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðə/, X-SAMPA: /"fO:%fA:D@/
• (GenAm) enPR: fôrʹfä'thər, IPA: /ˈfɔɹˌfɑːðɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"fOr%fA:D@`/

Noun

forefather (plural forefathers)

1. Ancestor (Wikipedia).
   • 1907, Robert Chambers, chapter 2/1, The Younger Set^[1]:

     His forefathers had been, as a rule, professional men—physicians and lawyers ; his grandfather died under the walls of Chapultepec Castle while twisting a tourniquet for a cursing dragoon […] .

2. Cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.

Translations

ancestor

• Armenian: նախահայր (hy) (naxahayr)
• Czech: předek (cs) m
• Finnish: esi-isä (fi)
• French: aïeul (fr) m, ancêtre (fr) m
• German: Vorfahre (de) m
• Russian: предок (ru) (prédok), прародитель (ru) (prarodítelʹ) m, пращур (ru) (práščur) m, праотец (ru) (praotéc) m

• Spanish: ancestro (es) m, antepasado (es) m, ascendiente (es) m, predecesor (es) m
• Swedish: förfader (sv) c
• Tok Pisin: tumbuna (tpi), tambaran (tpi)
• Volapük: (male or female) büröletan (vo), (male) hibüröletan (vo)

cultural ancestor