- forebear
- also forbear noun Etymology: Middle English (Scots), from fore- + -bear (from been to be) Date: 15th century ancestor, forefather; also precursor — usually used in plural
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
forebear
Look at other dictionaries:
Forebear — Fore*bear , n. An ancestor. See {Forbear}. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
forebear — index ancestor, ascendant, forerunner, parents, primogenitor, progenitor Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
forebear — see FORBEAR (Cf. forbear). Related: Forebearance; forebears … Etymology dictionary
forebear — forefather, progenitor, *ancestor … New Dictionary of Synonyms
forebear — (also forbear) ► NOUN ▪ an ancestor. ORIGIN from FORE(Cf. ↑fore) + bear, variant of obsolete beer «someone who exists» … English terms dictionary
forebear — [fôr′ber΄] n. [< FORE + BE + ER] an ancestor … English World dictionary
forebear — forbear, forebear 1. Forbear is a verb (pronounced with the stress on the second syllable) meaning ‘to abstain from, go without’ and is usually followed by to + infinitive or from + verb in ing: • He did not enquire after their progress and Nutty … Modern English usage
forebear — UK [ˈfɔː(r)beə(r)] / US [ˈfɔrˌber] noun [countable, usually plural] Word forms forebear : singular forebear plural forebears formal your forebears are the people in your family who lived a long time ago … English dictionary
forebear — Forbear For*bear (f[o^]r*b[^a]r ), n. [See {Fore}, and {Bear} to produce.] An ancestor; a forefather; usually in the plural. [Scot.] [Also spelled {forebear}.] Your forbears of old. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
forebear — See forbear. See forbear, forebear … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
