Library / English Dictionary

FOREFATHER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The founder of a family

Example:

keep the faith of our forefathers

Synonyms:

father; forefather; sire

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("forefather" is a kind of...):

ancestor; antecedent; ascendant; ascendent; root (someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "forefather"):

patriarch (any of the early biblical characters regarded as fathers of the human race)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Person from an earlier time who contributed to the tradition shared by some group

Example:

our forefathers brought forth a great nation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("forefather" is a kind of...):

predecessor (one who precedes you in time (as in holding a position or office))

Credits