forebear
/ˈfɔːbeə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɔːrber/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfȯr-ˌber/ (ame, mw)
forebear — noun
- forebearsingular
- forebearsplural
1. A family member from an earlier generation, such as a great-grandparent or more
A family member from an earlier generation, such as a great-grandparent or more distant ancestor.
The family archives list the names of forebears who settled in the region two centuries ago.
collocation: family archives + forebears
Our forebears built this village church with hand-carved stone and heavy wooden beams.
collocation: forebears built [something]
The historian traced the forebears of a local family back to an eighteenth-century tea merchant.
Old letters and diaries can tell us a great deal about the daily lives of our forebears.
DNA testing helped the family discover that their forebears had originally migrated from Scandinavia.
- ancestor
The most common and neutral term; can refer to both living and deceased earlier relatives.
- forefather
More poetic and archaic; strongly masculine in connotation, often used in patriotic contexts.
- predecessor
Not limited to family; refers to anyone who held a position or role before the current person.
- descendant
A person who comes after in a family line, such as a child, grandchild, or later generation.
用法筆記
Typically used in the plural form ('forebears') when referring to earlier generations of a family in general. The singular is grammatically correct but much less common. 'Forebear' carries a more formal or literary tone than 'ancestor', often implying respect or historical reflection.