English
forefall
fore- + fall
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-
Proto-Indo-European *h₃elh₁- ‘to collapse’
Proto-Germanic *fallaną ‘to fall’
Proto-West Germanic *fallan ‘to fall’
Old English feallan ‘to fall’
Middle English fallen ‘to fall’
English fall
Today it means
noun An ascending appoggiatura.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / forefall