Forename
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A name that precedes the surname.
- 2 the name that precedes the surname wordnet
- 1 To assign (someone) a first name.
"He forenamed him Ishmael, and assigns as a reason, his own attention to her present distress."
- 2 Synonym of prenominate.
"This forenaming of Cyrus is, indeed, extraordinary, and calculated to excite attention."
- 3 To appoint in advance.
"Now, the Central Junta having to deceive the people, affirmed that Sir Arthur Wellesley had retreated to the frontiers of Portugal at the very moement when the French might have been driven to the Pyrenees, came very soon to believe this, their own absurd calumny, and resolved to send the army at La Carolina headlong against Madrid: nay, such was their pitch of confidence, that forenaming the civil and military authorities, they arranged a provisionary system for the future administration of the capital, with a care, that they denied to the army which was to put them in possession."
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"Please could you write your forename in the space provided."
Etymology
From fore- + name.
Related phrases
More for "forename"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.