Meanings
plural forefathers
- An ancestor.
1 more example
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.
1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Norseforfaðir
- Old Englishforefæder“forefather”
- Middle Englishforefader
- Englishforefather
From Middle English forefader, forfader, vorvader, from Old English forefæder (“forefather”), but possibly also merged with Old Norse forfaðir. Equivalent to fore- + father. Compare Dutch voorvader (“forefather”), German Vorvater, Vorfahr (“forefather”), Danish forfader (“forefather”), Swedish förfader (“forefather”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γεννήτωρ, προπάτωρ
- γεννήτωρ (gennḗtōr)ancestor
- προπάτωρ (propátōr)ancestor
- φῡ́σᾱς (phū́sās)ancestor
Bulgarian предци, предтеча
- предци (predci)ancestor
- предтеча (predteča)cultural ancestor
Chinese Mandarin 祖先, 先人
- 祖先 (zǔxiān)ancestor
- 先人 (xiānrén)ancestor
- 先驅 /先驱 (xiānqū)cultural ancestor
Czech předek, praotec
- předekancestor
- praoteccultural ancestor
Danish forfader, ane
- forfaderancestor
- aneancestor
Dutch voorvader
- voorvaderancestor
Esperanto prapatro (M), praulo
- prapatro (M)ancestor
- prauloancestor
Finnish esi-isä
- esi-isäancestor
French aïeul, ancêtre
- aïeulancestor
- ancêtreancestor
German Vorfahre
- Vorfahreancestor
Hindi पूर्वज
- पूर्वज (pūrvaj)ancestor
Italian avo, ascendente
- avoancestor
- ascendenteancestor
- antenatoancestor
- progenitoreancestor
Japanese 前任者
- 前任者 (zenninsha)ancestor
Māori tipuna tāne, tupuna tāne
- tipuna tāneancestor
- tupuna tāneancestor
Norwegian Bokmål forfader, stamfar
- forfaderancestor
- stamfarancestor
Polish przodek, antenat
- przodekancestor
- antenatancestor
- przodekcultural ancestor
Portuguese antepassado
- antepassadoancestor
Russian пре́док, прароди́тель
- пре́док (prédok)ancestor
- прароди́тель (prarodítelʹ)ancestor
- пра́щур (práščur)ancestor
- праоте́ц (praotéc)ancestor
Spanish ancestro, antepasado
- ancestroancestor
- antepasadoancestor
- ascendienteancestor
- predecesorancestor
Swedish förfader
- förfaderancestor
Turkish ata
- ataancestor
Ukrainian пре́док, пра́щур
- пре́док (prédok)ancestor
- пра́щур (práščur)ancestor
Cite this entry
forefather. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forefather
“forefather.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forefather. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forefather,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forefather.
Source: forefather on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.