Meanings
comparative more forne · superlative most forne
- obsoleteFormer.
The Camel's hous; whiche it is saied that a certain king / In forne yeares, when he had on a Dromedarie Camele escaped the handes of his enemies, builded there.
1564, Nicholas Udall, Apophthegmatum opus (originally by Erasmus)
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*per-“next, of, out, through”
- Proto-Germanic*furnaz
- Old Englishfyrn“former, ancient”
- Middle Englishferne“old, long ago, distant, past”
- Englishforne
From Middle English, variation of Middle English ferne (“old, long ago, distant, past”), from Old English fyrn (“former, ancient”), from Proto-Germanic *furnaz, *fernaz, *firnijaz (“old, former”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“next, of, out, through”). More at fern.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
forne. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forne
“forne.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forne. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forne,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forne.
Source: forne on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.