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Origin and history of forward

forward(adv.)

Old English forewearde "toward the front, in front; toward the future; at the beginning;" see fore + -ward.

forward(v.)

1590s, "help push forward," from forward (adv.). The meaning "send (a letter, etc.) on to another destination" is attested by 1757; later used in reference to e-mail. Related: Forwarded; forwarding.

forward(n.)

Old English foreweard, "the fore or front part" of something, "outpost; scout;" see forward (adv.). The position in football so called since 1879.

forward(adj.)

Old English foreweard "fore, forward; early; in front, inclined to the front," also "superior," from fore "before" -weard (see -ward).

From the notion of "in a condition of advancement, far along in progress or growth" it was extended in early Modern English to "ready in action or disposition, prompt," and, in a derogatory sense, "over-helpful, presumptuous, impertinent" (by 1560s).

Entries linking to forward

fore(adv., prep.)

Old English fore (prep.) "before, in front of, in presence of; because of, for the sake of; earlier in time; instead of;" as an adverb, "before, previously, formerly, once," from Proto-Germanic *fura "before" (source also of Old Saxon fora, Old Frisian fara, Old High German fora, German vor, Danish for, Old Norse fyrr, Gothic faiura "for"), from PIE *prae-, extended form of root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before."

Now displaced by before. In nautical use, "toward the bows of the ship." Merged from 13c. with the abbreviated forms of afore and before and thus formerly often written 'fore. As a noun, "the front," from 1630s. The warning cry in golf is first recorded 1878, probably a contraction of before.

forwardness(n.)

1520s, "condition of being in advance," from forward + -ness. Meaning "presumptuousness" is from c. 1600. Old English foreweardness meant "a beginning."

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backward
"with the face to the rear, in the direction behind," c. 1300, from abakward, from Old English on bæc (see back (adv.), and compare aback) + -weard adjectival and adverbial suffix (see -ward). As an adverb, Old English had bæcling. As an adjective, from 1550s. The meaning "behind
from
Old English fram, preposition denoting departure or movement away in time or space, from Proto-Germanic *fra "forward, away...PIE *pro-mo-, suffixed form of *pro (see pro-), extended form of root *per- (1) "forward."...The Germanic sense of "moving away" apparently evolved from the notion of "forward motion."...It is related to Old English fram "forward; bold; strong," and fremian "promote, accomplish" (see frame (v.))....
proceed
French proceder (13c., Modern French procéder) and directly from Latin procedere (past participle processus) "go before, go forward..., advance, make progress; come forward," from pro "forward" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + cedere "to go" (from PIE...
procumbent
without putting forth roots," from Latin procumbentem (nominative procumbens), present participle of procumbere "to fall forward..., fall prostrate," from pro "forward" (see pro-) + -cumbere "take a reclining position," related to cubare "lie down" (see...The meaning "leaning forward, lying on the face" is from 1721. Related: Procumbently....
advance
13c., avauncen (transitive), "improve (something), further the development of," from Old French avancir, avancier "move forward..., go forward, set forward" (12c., Modern French avancer), from Vulgar Latin *abanteare (source of Italian avanzare, Spanish...The intransitive sense of "move forward, move further in front" is by mid-14c.; the transitive meaning "bring forward in...place, move (something) forward" is from c. 1500....
forth
Old English forð "forward, onward, farther; continually;" as a preposition, "during," perfective of fore, from Proto-Germanic *furtha- "forward" (source also of Old Frisian, Old Saxon forth "forward, onward," Old Norse forð, Dutch voort, German fort), from extended form of PIE ro
five
"1 more than four; the number which is one more than four; a symbol representing this number;" Old English fif "five," from Proto-Germanic *fimfe (source also of Old Frisian fif, Old Saxon fif, Dutch vijf, Old Norse fimm, Old High German funf, Gothic fimf), from PIE root *penkwe-
ship
Middle English ship, "seagoing vessel," especially a large one, from Old English scip "ship, boat, vessel of considerable size adapted to navigation," from Proto-Germanic *skipa- (source also of Old Norse, Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Gothic skip, Danish skib, Swedish skepp, Middle Du

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