Meanings
plural forelands
- A headland.
- geographyIn plate tectonics, the zone adjacent to a mountain chain where material eroded from it is deposited.
Most foreland fold and thrust belts are linear or arcuate belts of folds and thrust faults that form a marginal part of an orogenic belt between an undeformed craton and a more intensely deformed inner zone.
1980, B. C. Burchfiel, “Foreland Fold and Thrust Belts—Review”, in AAPG Bulletin, volume 64, number 5, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, →DOI, page 684
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out into the sea)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishforeland
- Englishforeland
From Middle English foreland, equivalent to fore- + land.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan avantpaís
- avantpaíszone where eroded material is deposited
Polish przedgórze, przedmurze
- przedgórzezone where eroded material is deposited
- przedmurzezone where eroded material is deposited
Spanish antepaís
- antepaíszone where eroded material is deposited
Cite this entry
foreland. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreland
“foreland.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreland. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foreland,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreland.
Source: foreland on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.