English

forematter

From fore- + matter.

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-

Latin māteria ‘wood; matter’

Old French materie

Anglo-Norman materie

Middle English matere ‘matter’

Today it means

noun Synonym of front matter.

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

Etymograph / forematter