forefather

/ˈfɔːfɑːðə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɔːrfɑːðər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfȯr-ˌfä-t͟hər/ (ame, mw)

forefather — 名詞

  • forefathersingular
  • forefathersplural

1. a male ancestor from the distant past, especially one mentioned when people disc

1.名詞B2
釋義

祖先

家族中很久以前的男性祖輩

a male ancestor from the distant past, especially one mentioned when people discuss where a family came from.

例句

Quinn learned that one forefather had crossed the sea from Fujian.

Quinn 發現有位祖先曾從福建渡海而來。

forefather in a family-history discovery

At the reunion, cousins shared stories about a forefather who farmed the valley.

聚會上，表親們分享一位在山谷務農的祖先的故事。

同義詞
  • ancestor

    the neutral everyday word for any earlier family relative, not only a male one

  • forebear

    more literary and often used for the family line as a whole

反義詞
  • descendant

    a family member who comes later in the line

文法句型

someone's forefather

the forefathers of a family

用法筆記

Usually used in formal or old-fashioned discussion of family history, tradition, or origin. It normally points to a male ancestor rather than to the whole family line in general.

常見錯誤

❌My forefather is picking me up after school.
✅My grandfather is picking me up after school.
💡'forefather' is for ancestors from many generations ago, not for a close living relative.

2. an earlier male figure whose work helped launch a field, system, or tradition, o

2.名詞C1
釋義

鼻祖；先驅

開創或深刻影響後世的人

an earlier male figure whose work helped launch a field, system, or tradition, or gave it the form it later followed.

例句

Many lawyers study Blackstone as a forefather of modern legal education.

許多法律人把 Blackstone 視為現代法學教育的鼻祖。

forefather of + later field or system

The museum presents Turing as a forefather of computer science.

博物館把 Turing 介紹為電腦科學的先驅。

同義詞
  • founder

    best for the person who starts one organization, company, or institution

  • pioneer

    stresses doing new work early, not the ancestry metaphor

  • forerunner

    often used for an earlier form or influence rather than a founding male figure

反義詞
  • successor

    the person or tradition that comes later

文法句型

a forefather of [movement/field/system]

the forefathers of [institution/tradition]

用法筆記

Mostly used in history, politics, religion, and other formal discussion of origins. Distinguish from sense 1: here the connection is influence or foundation, not blood relation.

常見錯誤

❌She is the forefather of the club.
✅She is a founder of the club.
💡'forefather' is traditionally male and usually names an earlier figure seen as an origin or model.