English

before

/bɪˈfɔː/
Earlier than (in time).

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    Origin

    Inherited from Middle English before /bifore, from Old English beforan, from be- + foran (“before”), from fore, from Proto-Germanic *furai, from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“front”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian befoar (“before”), German Low German bevör (“before”), German bevor (“before”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishbifore
      • inheritedOld Englishbeforan
        • partOld Englishbe- “be-”
          • inheritedProto-West Germanic*bi- “be-”
            • derivedProto-West Germanic*bī
              • inheritedProto-Germanic*bi “near, by”
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*bi- “be-”
            • derivedProto-Indo-European*glemb-
        • partOld Englishforan “before, in front, forward, to the front”

    Related: Saterland Frisian befoar, German Low German bevör, German bevor

    Words built on it: the

    Sources