English

forebay

Forebay comes from Middle English forbay.

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

Formed from fore- + bay

Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before, formerly’

Proto-Germanic *fura- ‘before, in front of, for’

Proto-West Germanic *forē- ‘before, in front of, fore-, pre-’

English fore-

Late Latin baia

French baie ‘bay’

English bay

Every English word from Middle English forbay

noun An artificial pool of water ahead of a larger body of water.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.