forehead
UK[ˈfɔːhed]US[ˈfɔːrhed]
n
The flat part of the face above the eyes and below the hair.
Morpheme Breakdown
fore
head
fore
front
head
head
Etymology
The word "forehead" is a transparent compound from Old English, formed by combining the prefix "fore-" (meaning "front" or "in front") with the noun "head." Its literal meaning, "the front part of the head," has remained remarkably consistent from its Germanic roots to modern English. The "fore-" element can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic fura- and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European per- (meaning "forward, through, before"), a prolific root seen in words like "forward" and "before." This construction follows a common Germanic pattern of creating specific body part terms through descriptive compounding, directly linking the word's anatomical location to its function as the foremost part of the skull.
Analysis
Structure: fore (front) + head (head)
- fore: A prefix of Old English origin, meaning "before, in front of, or front part of."
- head: A noun of Old English origin, meaning "the upper part of the human body."
Examples
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
He had a deep, thoughtful wrinkle on his forehead.
The baby's forehead felt warm, so her mother checked for a fever.