Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “foreground” come from?

Foreground comes from English ground, English grind, Faroese grind, and Old Norse grind, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per-.

foreground (English): The elements of an image which lie closest to the...

Definitions

  1. The elements of an image which lie closest to the...

Ancestry of “foreground”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfore-Positioned at or near the front; Before; ahead or...
2EnglishForeA people of Papua New Guinea
3GermanFahr—
4GermanFähreferry
5Middle High Germanverren—
6Old High Germanferranafrom afar
7Old High Germanferroafar; skipper
8Proto-West Germanic*ferrō—
9Proto-Germanicferraifar, distant
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-nóy—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “foreground”

  • foregroundable
  • foregrounder
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →