English
foreganger
Foreganger comes from Old English foregangan ‘to go before, precede, go in front of,…’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *furaiganganą.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furaiganganą‘to forego, go before’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150foregangan‘to go before, precede, go in front of, project, excel’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150*foregangerereconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forganger
- Englishearliest quotation 1820foreganger
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furaiganganą‘to forego, go before’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150foregangan‘to go before, precede, go in front of, project, excel’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150*foregangerereconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forganger
- Englishearliest quotation 1820foreganger
Earliest quotation: 1820, William Scoresby: “The foreganger is most commonly formed of white or…”
Every English word from Proto-Germanic *furaiganganą
Today it means
noun One who or that which goes before; a forerunner; a harbinger; a predecessor.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *furaiganganą / foreganger