Dictionary

forefather en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• fôrʹfäthər (General-American)
• /ˈfɔɹˌfɑːðɚ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• fôʹfäthə (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English forefader, forfader, vorvader, from Old English forefæder (“forefather”), but possibly also merged with Old Norse forfaðir. Equivalent to fore- + father. Compare Dutch voorvader (“forefather”), German Vorvater, Vorfahr (“forefather”), Danish forfader (“forefather”), Swedish förfader (“forefather”).

Meanings

1. An ancestor.
   • 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; an uncle remained indefinitely at Malvern Hill; an only brother at Montauk Point having sickened in the trenches before Santiago. 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
2. A cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.

Forms

Deriveds

forefatherly

Relateds

foresister

Translations (63)

it progenitore (ancestor) · nb forfader (ancestor) · de Vorfahre (ancestor) · nb stamfar (ancestor) · ru прароди́тель (ancestor) · ja 前任者 (ancestor) · cs předek (ancestor) · vo büröletan (ancestor) · tr ata (ancestor) · vo hibüröletan (ancestor) · ru пра́щур (ancestor) · kix pàusǜpòu (ancestor) · nn forfar (ancestor) · grc γεννήτωρ (ancestor) · cs praotec (cultural ancestor) · enm forfader (ancestor) · pt antepassado (ancestor) · grc φῡ́σᾱς (ancestor) · enm fornfader (ancestor) · ang ǣrfæder (ancestor) · da ane (ancestor) · bg предтеча (cultural ancestor) · ru праоте́ц (ancestor) · az ata-baba (ancestor) · es antepasado (ancestor) · tpi tambaran (ancestor) · eo praulo (ancestor) · eo prapatro (M) (ancestor) · enm forme fader (ancestor) · pl antenat (ancestor) · itk פַאטֵירוֹ (ancestor) · nn stamfar (ancestor) · cmn 祖先 (ancestor) · da forfader (ancestor) · uk пре́док (ancestor) · it avo (ancestor) · fi esi-isä (ancestor) · hy նախահայր (ancestor) · it ascendente (ancestor) · fr aïeul (ancestor) · nl voorvader (ancestor) · ru пре́док (ancestor) · uk пра́щур (ancestor) · grc προπάτωρ (ancestor) · kix pàusǜpòu (cultural ancestor) · es ancestro (ancestor) · cmn 先人 (ancestor) · pl przodek (cultural ancestor) · bg предци (ancestor) · es ascendiente (ancestor) · it antenato (ancestor) · sv förfader (ancestor) · nn forfader (ancestor) · es predecesor (ancestor) · mi tupuna tāne (ancestor) · cmn 先驅 /先驱 (cultural ancestor) · pdt Väavoda (ancestor) · fr ancêtre (ancestor) · tpi tumbuna (ancestor) · otk 𐰯𐰀 (ancestor) · pl przodek (ancestor) · hi पूर्वज (ancestor) · mi tipuna tāne (ancestor)