| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| forebear |
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| SYLLABICATION: | fore·bear |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  fôr bâr , f r- |
| VARIANT FORMS: | also for·bear |
| NOUN: | A person from whom one is descended; an ancestor. See synonyms at ancestor. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English forbear : fore-, fore- + beer, one who is (from ben, to be; see be).
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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