Where does “foreknowledge” come from?
Foreknowledge derives from Middle English fore- combined with knowen, from Old English cnāwan, traced to the Proto-Indo-European root per- meaning to perceive or understand.
foreknowledge (English): Knowing beforehand, prescience, foresight,...
Definitions
- Knowing beforehand, prescience, foresight,...
Ancestry of “foreknowledge”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fore- | Positioned at or near the front; Before; ahead or... |
| 2 | English | Fore | A people of Papua New Guinea |
| 3 | German | Fahr | — |
| 4 | German | Fähre | ferry |
| 5 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 6 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 7 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |