Where does “forefront” come from?
Forefront comes from Middle English forefrount, meaning the front or forward part of something.
forefront (English): The leading position or edge; To bring to the...
Definitions
- The leading position or edge; To bring to the...
Ancestry of “forefront”, step by step
forefront traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fore
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fore | A people of Papua New Guinea |
| 2 | German | Fahr | — |
| 3 | German | Fähre | ferry |
| 4 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 5 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 6 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English front
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | front | The foremost side of something or the end that... |
| 2 | Middle English | front | Alternative form of frount |
| 3 | Old French | front | forehead; front |
| 4 | Latin | frōns | a leafy branch; foliage; greenery |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰron-t- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰren- | project; to project; to stand out; to project;... |
via Middle English forefrount
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | forefrount | — |