forefather
An ancestorAn ancestor.
Recorded UK: Speaker: Vealhurl Recorder: Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
» The forefathers passed it down this way.
anzart · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 sensesAn ancestor.
Vorfahre
пре́докprédok, прароди́тельprarodítelʹ, пра́щурpráščur
пре́докprédok, пра́щурpráščur
A cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.
person from an earlier time who contributed to the tradition shared by some group
Examples
7 sentencesThe forefathers passed it down this way.
Abraham was correct and the forefather of many.
I will also remind you of the dangers of your forefathers.
Do you know your forefather?
Abraham was the common forefather of the Jews and Arabs.
deAbraham war der gemeinsame Urahn von Arabern und Juden. — al_ex_an_der
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English forefader, forfader, vorvader, from Old English forefæder (“forefatherFrom Middle English forefader, forfader, vorvader, from Old English forefæder (“forefather”), but possibly also merged with Old Norse forfaðir. Equivalent to fore- + father. Compare Dutch voorvader (“forefather”), German Vorvater, Vorfahr (“forefather”), Danish forfader (“forefather”), Swedish förfader (“forefather”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: forefathers| Singular | forefather |
|---|---|
| Plural | forefathers |
regular
Synonyms
2 synonymsWord family
2 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.