tofore

T1O1F4O1R1E1
/təˈfɔː(ɹ)/

preposition

Before.

OriginMiddle English tofore ← Old English tōforan →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

preposition

alternative toforne

  1. obsoleteBefore.
adverbtofore (not comparable)

alternative toforne

  1. not comparableobsoleteBefore, previously.

    Farewell, Lavinia, my noble sister ; O would thou wert as thou tofore hast been!

    1592, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus
conjunction

alternative toforne

  1. obsoleteBefore.

Origin

  1. Old Englishtōforan“in front of”
  2. Middle Englishtofore
  3. Englishtofore

From Middle English tofore, toforn, from Old English tōforan (“in front of”), from tō (“to”) + foran (“front, fore-part”, n.), dative case of fora (“front”). Compare Dutch tevoren (“previously”), German zuvor (“before, previously”). More at to, fore.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

footerrefoot
Cite this entry
APA

tofore. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tofore

MLA

“tofore.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tofore. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tofore,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tofore.

Source: tofore on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.