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forefinger

[fawr-fing-ger, fohr-]
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noun
  1. the first finger next to the thumb.
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Origin of forefinger

First recorded in 1400–50, forefinger is from the late Middle English word forefyngure. See fore-, finger
Also called index finger.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

digitpointer

Examples from the Web for forefinger

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • And Andy knew that he had the life of a man under the command of his forefinger.

  • To be crushed, as it were, under the tip of a forefinger was an unpleasant experience.

    The Secret Agent

    Joseph Conrad

  • Doctor taps Mr. Dibble on the eyebrow with his forefinger, and away they go.

  • A young Savoyard, eighteen years old, had had his forefinger shot off.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • "Now, I'll put you in a corner," forensically shaking a forefinger at him.

    A Tale of Two Cities

    Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for forefinger

forefinger

noun
  1. the finger next to the thumbAlso called: index finger
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for forefinger

n.

mid-15c., from fore- + finger (n.). So called because it is considered the first next to the thumb.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
forefinger in Medicine

forefinger

(fôr′fĭng′gər)
n.
  1. index finger
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.