Forefather

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Forefather \Fore"fa`ther\ (?; 277), n.
     One who precedes another in the line of genealogy in any
     degree, but usually in a remote degree; an ancestor.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Respecting your forefathers, you would have been taught


           to respect yourselves.                   --Burke.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Forefathers' Day}, the anniversary of the day (December 21)
        on which the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth,
        Massachusetts (1620). On account of a mistake in reckoning
        the change from Old Style to New Style, it has generally
        been celebrated on the 22d.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  forefather
       n 1: the founder of a family; "keep the faith of our forefathers"
            [syn: {father}, {sire}]
       2: person from an earlier time who contributed to the tradition
          shared by some group; "our forefathers brought forth a
          great nation"