forerunners
|for-er-run-ners|
🇺🇸
/fɔrˈrʌnərz/
🇬🇧
/fɔːˈrʌnəz/
(forerunner)
precursor
Etymology
'forerunner' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'forerinnan' (or elements 'fore-' + 'rinnan'), where 'fore-' meant 'before' and 'rinnan' meant 'to run'.
'forerunner' changed from the Old English verb-root 'forerinnan' into Middle English forms such as 'forrunnere'/'forerunner', and eventually became the modern English noun 'forerunner'.
Initially, it meant 'one who runs ahead' (literally a runner in front), but over time it evolved into its current figurative meanings of 'predecessor, precursor, or harbinger'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person or thing that comes before and indicates the approach of someone or something else; a predecessor or precursor.
Steam engines were the forerunners of modern locomotives.
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Noun 2
something that foreshadows or signals the coming of something else; a harbinger or omen.
These small experiments are forerunners of the major breakthroughs to come.
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Noun 3
an early model or version that leads to later developments (especially in technology, art, or ideas).
The first personal computers were forerunners of today's powerful machines.
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Last updated: 2025/10/02 02:46