forefather

[ fawr-fah-ther, fohr- ]

noun

1. an ancestor.

   Synonyms: forerunner, patriarch, progenitor, forebear

forefather

/ ˈfɔːˌfɑːðə /

noun

1. an ancestor, esp a male

Derived Forms

• ˈforeˌfatherly, adjective

Other Words From

• forefather·ly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forefather¹

First recorded in 1250–1300, forefather is from the Middle English word forefader. See fore-, father

Example Sentences

Think of Jell-O and related sweet wiggly snack treats as forefathers of modern hydrogels.

From Science News For Students

Their colonies here are predicated on the notion that their forefathers discovered an unpeopled dry wilderness, which they irrigated into their own slice of Eden.

From Outside Online

He is truly one of the forefathers of making reggae live in London.

From Essence.com

Ancestor, an′ses-tur, n. one from whom a person has descended: a forefather:—fem.

From Project Gutenberg

The oldest and best of all Sanskrit dramas, Hanuman-Natak, is ascribed to this talented forefather of ours.

From Project Gutenberg

It is your own forefather, MacIan with the broken sword, bleeding without hope at Culloden.

From Project Gutenberg

I will not permit you, Captain Roland, to rob me of either forefather, either train of idea.

From Project Gutenberg

Forefather's day was observed by the Nashville churches in the theological hall of Fisk University.

From Project Gutenberg