English
forward
Forward comes from Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard ‘inclined to the front’, from fore- + -ward.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150foreweard‘forward, inclined to the front’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foreward
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1591forward
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150foreweard‘forward, inclined to the front’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foreward
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1591forward
Earliest quotation: c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona: “The most forward bud / Is eaten by the…”
Formed from fore + -ward
Every English word from Old English foreweard
Today it means
adj Situated toward or at the front of something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English foreweard / forward