Where does “fornfader” come from?

fornfader (Middle English) comes from Middle English fader, 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.

fornfader (Middle English): Adam as the progenitor of humankind

Definitions

  1. Adam as the progenitor of humankind

Ancestry of “fornfader”, step by step

fornfader traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English fader

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfaderA father; the male direct ancestor of someone or...
2Old Englishfæderfather
3Proto-West Germanicfaderfather
4Proto-Germanicfadērfather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂tḗrfather
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd

via Middle English forn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishforn—
2Old Englishforanbefore
3Old Englishforafront; before; forepart, front
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr →Every word from Proto-Germanic fadēr →