tofore

English

Alternative forms

• toforne (14th – 16th centuries)

Etymology

From Middle English tofore, toforn, from Old English tōforan (“in front of”), from tō (“to”) + foran (“front, fore-part”, n.), dative case of fora (“front”). Compare Dutch tevoren (“previously”), German zuvor (“before, previously”). More at to, fore.

Preposition

tofore

1. (obsolete) Before.

Adverb

tofore (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Before.
   • 1592, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus:

     Farewell, Lavinia, my noble sister ; O would thou wert as thou tofore hast been!

Conjunction

tofore

1. (obsolete) Before.

Anagrams

• foetor, footer, fœtor, refoot

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• (adverb and preposition): toforen, tofor, toforon, toforn, toforne, toforan, toffor, toffore, tofforn, toforowe, tofour, tovor, tovore, tovoren, tefor, tefore, teforen
• (conjunction): toforn, tofor, to-fore, to-forn, to-for

Etymology

From Old English tōforan; equivalent to to- +‎ fore.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /toːˈfɔːr(ə)/, /toːˈfɔːr(ə)n/, /tɔ-/, /tə-/

Adverb

tofore

1. In front, ahead; in the first position in a sequence.
2. At a prior time; beforehand, earlier.
3. (in texts) Found above; found in a prior section.

Descendants

• English: tofore (obsolete)

References

• “tofore(n, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 April 2018.

Preposition

tofore

1. In front of.
2. Closer than something (with reference to the speaker).
3. In the presence of; before.
4. Earlier than; prior to.
5. To a degree greater than; more so than.

References

• “tofore(n, prep.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 April 2018.

Descendants

• English: tofore (obsolete)

Conjunction

tofore

1. Indicates that the antecedent clause occurred before the consequent clause in time.
   • (Can we date this quote by Sir Thomas Malory and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Never sith myght he be heled, ne nought shal tofore we come to hym.

Usage notes

• As a conjunction, tofore is often paired with þat.

References

• “tofore, conj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 April 2018.