Etymology

forehead

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Today it means: The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline. Full definition →

Middle English forhed ← Old English forehēafod ← Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid
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The story

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*forēhaubid
  2. Old English · inherited fromforehēafod
  3. Middle English · inherited fromforhed
  4. English todayforehead

From Middle English forhed, forheed, from Old English forehēafod, from Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid, corresponding to fore- + head. Cognate with Scots foreheid (“forehead”), Dutch voorhoofd (“forehead”), German Vorhaupt (“forehead”), Danish forhoved (“brow; forehead; face”). Compare also West Frisian foarholle (“forehead”), German Low German Vörkopp (“forehead”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.