fore

before; in front

Spelled fore · fore 'before, in front'

Old English fore means before: a foreword comes first, a forefather lived earlier, and forethought looks ahead.

Words built from it

forestall — prevent or obstruct something by acting ahead of time
fore- (before) + stall (standing place, stall); originally intercept goods before they reached the market
foreshadow — give an early sign of something that will happen
fore- (before) + shadow (cast a shadow)
forethought — careful thought about what may happen later
fore- (before) + thought (thinking)
forewarn — warn someone in advance
fore- (before) + warn (give notice of danger)
foretell — say what will happen in the future
fore- (before) + tell (say)
foreword — an introductory statement at the beginning of a book
fore- (before) + word (statement)
forefather — a male ancestor
fore- (before) + father (male parent or ancestor)
foreboding — a strong feeling that something bad will happen
fore- (before) + bode (announce or predict) + -ing (state or action)

forensic — From Latin forensis, 'of the forum,' from forum, a public meeting place. Its fore letters do not mean 'before.'