English

foregain

Foregain comes from Old English foran ongean ‘opposite’.

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

Formed from fore- + gain

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 *ḱóm ‘next to’

…

Proto-Germanic *gagana ‘back’

Proto-Germanic *gagną

Old Norse gagn ‘benefit’

Middle English gayn ‘profit’

English gain

Every English word from Old English foran ongean

prep Directly opposite to; in the opposite scale to.

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