† toˈfore, prep., adv., and conj. Obs.
Forms: α. 1–2 tóforan, (1 -on), 2–3 toforen, 3–5 to foren, 4–6 toforn(e, 4–7 to forn(e. β. 3 to vore, 3–4 tovore, 3–6 to for, (3 te for), 3–7 to fore, 4–6 tofor, 4–7 tofore, (5 toffore), 6 Sc. to-foir. γ. Sc. 5 to forowe, toforowe, 6 to forrow.
[OE. tóforan, f. to prep. + foran adv., deriv. of OTeut. *fora fore, for: see before, also afore, atfore, heretofore. Cognate with OFris. tô-fora, OS. te foran, MHG. zevor, zuovor, -vorn, Ger. zuvor.]
A. prep.
1. Of motion: To before, to the front of; of position: In front of; = before B. 2.
| a 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iii. xii. [xiv.] (1890) 196 Se cyning..stop ofostlice toforan [ðam] biscope, & feoll to his fotum. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke x. 8 Etað þæt eow toforan aset ys. c 1275 Lay. 31548 Þo stot him vp Penda: To-vore þan heȝe kinge. c 1300 Beket 2001 That bred..that tofore him lay. a 1325 Prose Psalter liii. [liv.] 3 [Thei] ne sett nouȝt God to-forn her syȝt. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xiv. 346 He cast hym deed to fore his fete. a 1547 Surrey æneid iv. 264 Tofore thaltars, in presence of the Gods. |
b. Into or in the presence of; in the sight or cognizance of;
= before B. 3.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxv. 32 Ealle þeoda beoþ toforan hym ᵹegaderude. 10.. Leg. Rood (1871) 11/4 Þæt hio rædlice coman toforan þare mære cwenan þa hio beforan hire stodan. c 1070 O.E. Chron. an. 1070 (Parker MS.), Se arcebiscop..þæt ylce ᵹefæstnode toforan þam papan Alexandre. c 1205 Lay. 14071 Þan kinge he eode to⁓foren. 1340 Ayenb 218 Þe ilke comþ to-uore god mid ydele honden. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 347 He knowleched his trespas openliche tofore þe bisshop and al þe peple. 1493 Festivall (W. de W. 1515) 14 b, Anone tofore them he made a blynde man to se. 1600 Fairfax Tasso i. xxxv, All tofore their chieftaine mustred beene. |
c. tofore God: in the sight of God; at the tribunal of God; hence as an asseveration (also
God tofore), by God:
cf. before B. 3 b, 4, 5.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 800 (849) So shal I do to morw I-wis..And god to-forn. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 457 And made avowe to-fore god for his foule sleuthe. a 1450 Myrc Par. Pr. 213 That ys feyre to-fore god. a 1500 Chaucer's Dreme 1281 Madame..god tofore, ye shul be there. |
2. Of position in motion: In advance of, ahead of:
= before B. 1. (In
quot. 1297 with a pursuer as object;
cf. before B. 1 c.)
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke i. 17 He gæð toforan him on gaste and Elias mihte. c 1250 Old Kentish Serm. in O.E. Misc. 26 Swo kam si sterre þet yede to-for hem in-to ierusalem. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2202 Ȝe ne conne bote fle Ase ssep to vore wolues. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1906) 63, .ij. yonge women..wolde haue hasted hem tofore her felawes. 1600 Fairfax Tasso i. xxxvii, Their wonted ensigne, they tofore them bring. |
3. Of time: Previously to, earlier than;
= before B. 7–9.
| a 1000 in Cockayne Narrat. (1861) 16 Hit wæs to foran dæᵹes. c 1025 O.E. Chron. an. 1013, On þam ilcan ᵹeare to foran þam monðe Augustus. c 1275 Woman of Samaria 5 in O.E. Misc. 84 A lutel te-for þe tyme. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 165 Carthago was i-buld þre score ȝere and twelue to fore þe citee of Rome. 1440 in Wars Eng. in France (1864) II. 455 Not longe tyme tofore his deth. 1577–87 Holinshed Scott. Chron. (1805) II. 198 Rather..than we did tofore his fathers invasion. |
4. Of rank, order, or preference: In precedence of or preference to; beyond, more than; rather than;
= before B. 10, 11.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. Prayer (at end), Þæt ic mæᵹe þe inweardlice lufian toforon eallum þingum. c 1000 ælfric Deut. vii. 14 Ᵹe beoþ ᵹebletsod toforan eallum oþrum mannum. c 1000 ― Hom. I. 208 Assa is stunt nyten..and toforan oðrum nytenum unᵹesceadwis. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 117 He is on heuene on his kine setle to-foran oðer mennen. a 1272 A Luue Ron 155 in O.E. Misc. 98 Nys non betere vnder heouene grunde. He is to-fore alle oþre i-coren. a 1325 Prose Psalter xliv. [xlv.] 3 Fair artou..in fourme to-fore mennes sones. 14.. Chaucer's Pars. T. ¶677 (Harl. MS.) Thus is he an auerous man þat loueth his tresor toforn god. |
b. Of serial order: Before, preceding.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 61 Þe peple putte hir owne names to fore þe names of hir felawes. |
5. Besides, over and above.
rare. (
Cf. B. 5.)
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 584 Salomon eac forᵹeaf þære cwene swa hwæs swa heo ᵹyrnde æt him, toforan ðære cynelican lace ðe he hire ᵹeaf. |
B. adv. (not in
OE.).
1. Of time: Previously, beforehand, earlier; heretofore, in the past;
= before A. 5.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Al swa þet writ seide bi him muchel to-foran. 1258 Proclam. Hen. III, Þurȝ þe besiȝte of þan to foren iseide redesmen. 1340 Ayenb. 7 He deþ aye þe heste of god to uore yzed. c 1350 Will. Palerne 142 Ac his witt welt he after, as wel as to fore. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 110 Þat I have told to forn. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. ii, New partit out of slepe a lyte tofore. Ibid. xxiii, The way we tuke, the tyme I tald to-forowe [rimes morowe, borowe]. a 1425 Cursor M. 3010 (Trin.) Ysaac hir son..Þat was longe bihet to forn [earlier MSS. biforn, be-forne]. 1481 Caxton Reynard xxxiv. (Arb.) 100, I am more hongry now than I was to fore. 1546 Supplic. of Poore Commons (E.E.T.S.) 61 Not many yeres tofore. 1649 G. Daniel Trinarch., Hen. V c, Mortimer, Earle of March, in the right Line Discendent, and to fore declared Heire. |
2. Of position: In front;
= before A. 2.
| 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 1871 Sadok toforn haþ him smete Of his scheld a quarter wiþ gret hete. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 105 Þe senewis tofore ben drawe togidere. 14.. Beryn 155 It is a spere, yf thowe canst se, with a prik tofore. |
3. Of motion: In advance, ahead;
= before A. 1.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 1365 Now wendeþ to forn, on of ȝou, & tel anon þe king. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 24570 Send hem toforne, on thy massage. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ii. ix. 85, xx of hem rode to fore to warne the lady. 1513 Douglas æneis i. Prol. 419 Saying he followit Virgillis lantern to forne, Quhen Eneas to Dido was forsworne. |
4. Of rank: In precedence;
cf. before A. 4.
| c 1440 Gesta Rom. xci. 416 (Add. MS.) Þe proude man wil all wey be sette aboue and be-fore oþer, he wil all way be putte tofore in Euery place. 1481 Caxton Godeffroy cxci. 280 Without doubte the spyrituel thynges be more digne and worthy than the temporall. Therfore..the moost hye thynges ought to goo to fore. |
5. Beforehand; in hand for the future; left over.
Cf. mod.Sc. to the fore.
| 1597 Trials for Witchcraft in Spalding Misc. (1841) I. 95 Hir and hir guidman..suld newir haue frie geir tofoir. |
C. conj. Of time:
= before C. 1.
a. with
that:
cf. before C. 1 a.
| a 1325 Prose Psalter lxxxix. [xc.] 2 To-fore þat þe mounteins were made. 1388 Wyclif Matt. x. 23 To fore that mannus sone come. 1484 Caxton Curial 12 Tofore that thou hast ony offyces. |
b. simply:
cf. before C. 1 b.
| 1464 Rolls of Parlt. V. 563/2 Tofore it passe out of any of the seid Townes. 1477 Sir J. Paston in P. Lett. III. 187 Iff I had hadde it toffore he wente. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 9 So cannot he condemne him for an Heretike tofore he be detected of errour. |
c. tofore or (
= ere):
cf. before C. 1 c.
| c 1440 Lydg. Hors, Shepe & G. 5 (Lamb. MS.) On shreffe thursday toforne or he was dede! 1474 Caxton Chesse iii. i, Tofore or Adam synned. 1485 ― Paris & V. (1868) 30 Alwaye tofore or he wente to hys bedde. |
D. Comb.:
toforegoing a., foregoing, preceding, antecedent;
toforehand adv., beforehand, previously;
toforesaid a., previously mentioned, aforesaid;
toforetime adv., previously, aforetime.
| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love iii. iii. (Skeat) l. 180 That oon is *toforgoing necessite, whiche maketh thing to be. Ibid. viii. 30 Onely through grace tofornegooyng. |
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 147 I-wrete of hym an hondred ȝere and twenty ȝere *to forehonde. Ibid. VI. 175 Seint Aldelyn was to forehonde abbot of Malteby, þat is Malmesbury. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. vi. (Skeat) l. 154 Of errours coming herafter, men may lightly to forne hande puruaye remedye. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 3681 As ye haue herd tofore hond. 1258 *To foren iseide [see B. 1]. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love iii. iv. (Skeat) l. 261 If thou have knowing of these to-forn⁓said thinges. 1444 Rolls of Parlt. V. 121/2 Founden by an enquerre bi the Baillifs toforeseid. |
| c 1400 Three Kings Cologne 82 (Cambr. MS.) Þe sterre þat *tofore-tyme ȝede a-fore hem. c 1477 Caxton Jason 46 Him semed that he hadde seen them tofore tyme. |