fore-

See also: fore, Fore, fóre, foré, forè, fôre, före, and főre

English

Etymology

From Middle English fore-, from Old English fōr(e)-, from Proto-Germanic *fura-, *furai- (“before, in front of, for”), from Proto-Indo-European *per-, *pr- (“before, formerly; through, throughout”). Akin to Old Saxon and Old High German fora-, Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰- (faura-) (see 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰 (faura)), Dutch voor- (“fore-”).

Prefix

fore-

1. Positioned at or near the front
2. Before; ahead or in front of.
3. Occurring beforehand; earlier; prior to

   forefather

   foretwist

Usage notes

Some terms prefixed with for- (“far, very”) have alternative spellings beginning with fore-, though they do not derive from fore- (they do not mean “before”); examples include foreshame, foreslack, foreslow. Conversely, some terms prefixed with fore- have alternative spellings beginning with for-, such as forbear; the form with fore- is usually preferred to avoid ambiguity, with the conspicuous exception of forward/forwards. In some cases analogous words with both prefixes are found, as in forego (“go before”) vs. forgo (“do without”), forebear (“ancestor”) vs. forbear (“restrain oneself”), and forespeak (“speak before, foretell”) vs. forspeak (“speak ill of; curse; charm, bewitch”). The prefixes might be distantly related (from Proto-Indo-European), but are distinct in English.

Derived terms

► English words prefixed with fore-

See also

• for-

Anagrams

• Freo, froe, o-fer, orfe

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Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *furai-, from Proto-Indo-European *per-, *pr-

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfoːre/

Prefix

fōr(e)-

1. Before, in front of, pro-

   fōrecwide "introduction, heading; prophecy"

   fōremanian "to forewarn, admonish"

   fōremǣrlīċ "eminent, foreboding"

   fōrerīm "prologue"

   fōrecnēoris "progeny"

   fōrefrēfrend "proconsul"

   fōrecostigan "to profane"

   fōreġehāt "vow"

   fōremearcung "title, chapter"

2. first, prime, occupying a prominent position

   fōreseld "first seat"

3. very, supremely, foremost

   foremaniġ "very many"

   foremihtiġ "most mighty"

Derived terms

► Old English words prefixed with fore-

Descendants

• Middle English: fore-
  • English: fore-