forebear

American  

[fawr-bair, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌbɛər, ˈfoʊr- /

Also forbear

noun

1. Usually forebears ancestors; forefathers.

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forebear British  

/ ˈfɔːˌbɛə /

noun

1. an ancestor; forefather

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Etymology

Origin of forebear

1425–75; Middle English (Scots), equivalent to fore- fore- + -bear “being,” variant of beer; see be, -er ¹

Explanation

Your father, grandmother, and great grandfather are all your forebears. A forebear is an ancestor, or someone you are descended from. You might have thought that forebear means to stop yourself from doing something. The word you are thinking of is forbear. Confused? The "e" makes all of the difference here. Whereas the first is a noun, the second is a verb. Just remember that if you see fore like in before, it's the people who came before you.

Related Words

• forefather