Foretype

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A type or figure occurring beforehand or in advance; forerunner; predecessor; prototype

    "Their unconsummated relationship was a foretype of the chaste marriage of Mary and Joseph."

Verb
  1. 1
    To make into a foretype, or exemplify as such; to foreshadow; exemplify beforehand transitive

    "Whereupon Charlie, of four, foretyped his possible future, and the present of so many, by the exhibition of what might have been called strongly interested affection: …"

Example

More examples

"Their unconsummated relationship was a foretype of the chaste marriage of Mary and Joseph."

Etymology

From fore- + type.

Related phrases

in advance

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.