forefather

American  

[fawr-fah-ther, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌfɑ ðər, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

1. an ancestor.

   Synonyms:

   forerunner, patriarch, progenitor, forebear

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forefather British  

/ ˈfɔːˌfɑːðə /

noun

1. an ancestor, esp a male

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Other Word Forms

• forefatherly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of forefather

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

Explanation

You can describe your ancestor who traveled to America on the Mayflower as your forefather. Use the noun forefather to talk about a relative in the distant past, usually a man who goes back on your family tree several generations. Your great-great-great grandfather is your forefather, for example. You can also describe the founder of a tradition or style as a forefather — some people think of Chuck Berry as the forefather of rock n' roll, for example. Fore, "before," combines with father in the word forefather.

Example Sentences

There it is that Aphr�don is discovered with his twelve Holy Ones and the Forefather, and in that Space abides also Adam, the Man of the Light, with his three hundred �ons.

From The Gnôsis of the Light by Lamplugh, F.

The Sixth Father has the face of an All-Father, the face of a Self-Father, and the face of a Forefather.

From The Gnôsis of the Light by Lamplugh, F.

O Forefather of Light, more excellent than every Forefather, I praise Thee.

From The Gnôsis of the Light by Lamplugh, F.

The Eighth Deep is the Forefather from whom and by whom all forefathers exist.

From The Gnôsis of the Light by Lamplugh, F.

The first son of a Forefather I ever fell in with was a nine-months Connecticut man at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the spring of '62.

From Modern Eloquence: Vol III, After-Dinner Speeches P-Z by Various