forebear

forebear
/fawr"bair', fohr"-/, n.
Usually, forebears. ancestors; forefathers.
Also, forbear.
[1425-75; ME (Scots), equiv. to fore- FORE- + -bear being, var. of beer; see BE, -ER1]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Forebear — Fore*bear , n. An ancestor. See {Forbear}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • forebear — index ancestor, ascendant, forerunner, parents, primogenitor, progenitor Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • forebear — see FORBEAR (Cf. forbear). Related: Forebearance; forebears …   Etymology dictionary

  • forebear — forefather, progenitor, *ancestor …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • forebear — (also forbear) ► NOUN ▪ an ancestor. ORIGIN from FORE(Cf. ↑fore) + bear, variant of obsolete beer «someone who exists» …   English terms dictionary

  • forebear — [fôr′ber΄] n. [< FORE + BE + ER] an ancestor …   English World dictionary

  • forebear — forbear, forebear 1. Forbear is a verb (pronounced with the stress on the second syllable) meaning ‘to abstain from, go without’ and is usually followed by to + infinitive or from + verb in ing: • He did not enquire after their progress and Nutty …   Modern English usage

  • forebear — UK [ˈfɔː(r)beə(r)] / US [ˈfɔrˌber] noun [countable, usually plural] Word forms forebear : singular forebear plural forebears formal your forebears are the people in your family who lived a long time ago …   English dictionary

  • forebear — Forbear For*bear (f[o^]r*b[^a]r ), n. [See {Fore}, and {Bear} to produce.] An ancestor; a forefather; usually in the plural. [Scot.] [Also spelled {forebear}.] Your forbears of old. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • forebear — See forbear. See forbear, forebear …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • forebear — also forbear noun Etymology: Middle English (Scots), from fore + bear (from been to be) Date: 15th century ancestor, forefather; also precursor usually used in plural …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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