forefather

English

Etymology

From Middle English forefader, forfader, vorvader, from Old English fōrefæder (“forefather”), but possibly also merged with Old Norse forfaðir. Equivalent to fore- +‎ father. Compare Dutch voorvader (“forefather”), German Vorvater, Vorvahr (“forefather”), Danish forfader (“forefather”), Swedish förfader (“forefather”).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) enPR: fôʹfä'thə, IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðə/
(General American) enPR: fôrʹfä'thər, IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɹˌfɑːðɚ/

Noun

forefather (plural forefathers)

Ancestor.^Wp
- 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:
  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.
Cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.

Translations

ancestor

Armenian: նախահայր (hy) (naxahayr)
Bulgarian: предци (bg) pl (predci)
Czech: předek (cs) m
Dutch: voorvader (nl) m
Finnish: esi-isä (fi)
French: aïeul (fr) m, ancêtre (fr) m
German: Vorfahre m
Greek:
Ancient Greek: προπάτωρ m (propátōr)
Italian: avo (it) m, ascendente (it) m, antenato (it) m, progenitore (it) m
Maori: tipuna tāne, tupuna tāne
Norwegian:
Bokmål: forfader (no) m, stamfar (no) m
Nynorsk: forfar m, (old) forfader m, stamfar m

Old Turkic: 𐰯𐰀‎ (apa)
Polish: przodek (pl) m
Portuguese: antepassado (pt) m
Russian: пре́док (ru) (prédok), прароди́тель (ru) m (prarodítelʹ), пра́щур (ru) m (práščur), праоте́ц (ru) m (praotéc)
Spanish: ancestro (es) m, antepasado (es) m, ascendiente (es) m, predecesor (es) m
Swedish: förfader (sv) c
Tok Pisin: tumbuna, tambaran
Turkish: ata (tr)
Volapük: (male or female) büröletan (vo), (male) hibüröletan (vo)

cultural ancestor

Bulgarian: предтеча (bg) m (predteča)