'foreskin' originates from Old English element 'fore' meaning 'before, in front of' combined with 'skin' (from Old Norse 'skinn') meaning 'skin, hide'.

'fore' (Old English 'fore') + 'skin' (Old Norse 'skinn') were combined in Middle English to form 'foreskin', which then continued into modern English as 'foreskin'.

Initially it referred literally to the 'skin that is before/in front (of something)' and specifically to the skin covering the glans; over time it remained specialized to mean the anatomical prepuce of the penis.