forefather
/ˈfɔɹˌfɑːðɚ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.01 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An ancestor.
noun
A cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.
Example Sentences
- "His forefathers had been, as a rule, professional men—physicians and lawyers; his grandfather died under the walls of Chapultepec Castle while twisting a tourniquet for a cursing dragoon; an uncle remained indefinitely at Malvern Hill; an only brother at Montauk Point having sickened in the trenches before Santiago."
Etymology
From 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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfɔɹˌfɑːðɚ/
- British English: /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðə/