forward-reference
|for-ward-ref-er-ence|
🇺🇸
/ˈfɔrwərd ˌrɛfərəns/
🇬🇧
/ˈfɔːwəd ˌrɛf(ə)rəns/
reference to something later
Etymology
'forward-reference' is a compound of 'forward' and 'reference'. 'forward' originates from Old English 'foreweard', where 'fore-' meant 'before' and 'weard' meant 'turned toward'; 'reference' originates from Latin 'referre' (via Old French), where 're-' meant 'back' and 'ferre' meant 'to carry, bring'.
'forward' developed from Old English 'foreweard' into Middle English 'forward'; 'reference' came from Latin 'referre' to Old French forms and then Middle English 'reference'; the modern compound 'forward-reference' arose by combining these two established English words to name a reference that points forward in a text or code.
Individually the parts originally conveyed senses of 'before/toward' and 'carrying back/bringing', but the compound's meaning has come to mean 'a reference that points to something that appears later'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
(computing) A reference in source code to an identifier or entity before its declaration or definition appears later in the code.
The compiler reported a forward-reference to the variable 'x' because it had not been declared yet.
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Noun 2
(writing / documentation) A reference in a text that points to material appearing later in the same document (e.g., 'see chapter 5').
The footnote contained a forward-reference to a table in chapter 4.
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Noun 3
(linguistics / discourse) A mention that anticipates or signals information that will be provided later in the discourse.
Her opening comment served as a forward-reference that prepared the audience for the later details.
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Last updated: 2025/12/29 11:16