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Added 10 October 2026

foreword

/ˈfɔːwɜːd/ noun

Latin root: praefatio Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about foreword at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An introductory section preceding the main text of a book or other document; especially, one written by another person (not the author of the work thus introduced).

Origin

Morphologically fore- + word. Calque of German Vorwort, itself a calque of Latin praefatio (“preface”). Cognate with German Low German Vörwoord (“foreword”), Dutch voorwoord (“foreword”), West Frisian foarwurd (“foreword”), Danish forord (“preface; proviso”), Swedish förord (“foreword”). Compare also Old English forword, foreword (“proviso; condition”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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