Where does “forefader” come from?
forefader (Middle English) comes from Old English forefæder, from Old English fæder, from Proto-West Germanic fader, from Proto-Germanic fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.
Ancestry of “forefader”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | forefæder | — |
| 2 | Old English | fæder | father |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fader | father |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fadēr | father |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₂tḗr | father |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂- | to protect; to shepherd |
Words derived from “forefader”