Forms: 1 onforan (2–3 onforen, aforen), ? 3–4 aforn, 4–5 afforn(e, 4–6 aforne, 4 affore, 5– afore. [OE. on foran = on, prep. + foran, itself an adv. = in front, in advance, properly dative of for, used as adj. or sb.; cf. æt-foran, be-foran, to-foran. The OE. on foran is not of frequent occurrence, and it was only in 14th c. that aforn, afore, became common, taking the place of the simple FORN, FORE, OE. foran, fore. Afore may also in some cases represent ATFORE, OE. ætforan which survived to 1300. By restriction to an object afore became a preposition, and by ellipsis of a relative a prepositional conjunction. Afore is now mostly obsolete in literature, its place being taken by BEFORE; but it is retained in the Bible and Prayer-book, is common in the dialects generally, as well as in ‘vulgar’ London speech, and in nautical language. Cf. also pinafore.]
A. adv.
1. Of place: In front, in advance; in or into the fore-part. Still used in naut. lang. and in dialects.
a. 1000. Ags. Ps. cxiii. 13 (cxv. 5). Beoð onforan eáʓan, ne maʓon feor ʓeseon.
a. 1400. Leg. Rood, 150. And prikkede into his panne Boþe byhynde and aforn.
c. 1430. Lydg., Minor Poems (1840), 4. Alle clad in white, and the most principalle Afforne in reed.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of Armes, I. ix. 23. They shuld sett theyre lifte foete a-fore.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froissart, I. cccl. 561. Sirs, on afore to these false traytours.
1581. Nuce, Seneca’s Octavia, 166. Light ashes easly puft aforne.
1655. Digges, Compl. Ambass., 357. Methinks it is somewhat requisite you did send one afore.
1677. Lond. Gaz., mcxciv/4. Having two Guns, one afore, and the other abaft.
1769. Falconer, Shipwreck, III. 118. While Rodmond, fearful of some neighbouring shore, Cries ever and anon, ‘Loke out afore!’
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., 24. Afore … opposed to abaft and signifying that part of the ship which lies forward, or near the stem. Afore, the same as before the mast.
2. Of time: In time preceding or previous; previously, before. arch. but common dial.
1340. Ayenb., 271. [Hit] auore ualþ ere hit by arered.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2044. So þat þou ous sykerye affore.
1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, I. vi. He gan them sowe right as men do corne Upon the land that eared was aforne.
1526. Tindale, 1 Cor. xi. 21. For every man begynneth a fore [Wyclif bifore] to eate his awne supper.
1611. Bible, Eph. iii. 3. As I wrote afore [Wyclif aboue] in few words.
1684. Bunyan, Pilgr., II. (1862), 219. Had I known that afore.
1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., iii. 286. Than he had done afore.
B. prep. [The adv. with a defining object.]
1. Of place: Before, in front of; in advance of. arch. in literature; still common dial. and in nautical language, whence the phrase Afore the mast, i.e., among the common seamen, who have their quarters there.
1205. Layamon, 10413. Fulgenes him wes aforen on.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2282. Alle þe Sarsyns þay a-slowe; þat þay afforn him founde.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., i. 2. And fastenyd it in þe walle afore him.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. I. 78. The Turks Ferozes … pursued without looking afore him.
1787. Burns, Wks., III. 216. So, took a birth afore the mast, An’ owre the sea.
1827. J. Wilson, Wks., 1855, I. 357. Plenty of life let us howp is yet afore us.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Afore the beam, all the field of view from amidship in a right angle to the ship’s keel to the horizon forward.
2. In or into the presence of. arch. and dial.
1250[?]. Grosseteste, in Dom. Archit., III. 75. Ete ȝe in the halle afore youre meyny.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 12. And with a crosse afor þe kynge · comsed þus to techen.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 13. Be wel ware what ye speke afor your enemies.
c. 1540. Wyatt, Compl. Love to Reason, 152. My froward master, Afore that Queen I caused to be acited.
1812. W. Tennant, Anster Fair, VI. liii. Afore each half mistrusting eye.
1839. Dickens, Ol. Twist (1850), 60/1. ‘You’re getting too proud to own me afore company, are you?’
b. fig.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XII. 81. Gultier as afor god.
1563. Homilies, II. xiii. § 1 (1640), 178. If we suffer to be evill spoken of for the love of Christ, this is thankfull afore God.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 365. Having God afore our eies.
3. Of time: Before, previously to. arch. & dial.
898. O. E. Chron., an. 894. [He] ʓegaderade … micelne here onforan winter. Ibid. (1121), (Laud MS.), an. 1116. Þa ormæte reinas þe coman sona onforan August.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2483. If he wer now lyues man: afore þis had he come.
c. 1550. Cheke, Matt. xxiv. 38. As in ye tijm afoor ye flood.
1611. Bible, Is. xviii. 5. Afore the haruest when the bud is perfect.
1660. H. Finch, Trial of Regic., 44. Some days afore that, there was a Committee.
1860. Dickens, Lett. (ed. 2), II. 109. With a certain dramatic fire in her whereof I seem to remember having seen sparks afore now.
4. Of rank or importance: In precedence of, above. arch. and dial.
1428. R. Whyteman, in E. E. Wills (1882). Y woll that Symken … haue hem [candelstekes] A-fore eny other man.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 20. Loke that first affore all thingis ye loue, drede, and obeye our lord.
Bk. Comm. Prayer, Athanasian Creed. In this Trinity, none is afore or after other.
C. conj. [elliptical use of the prep. of time, as afore the time that he came, afore that he came, afore he came.] Before, sooner than. Sometimes strengthened with or; cf. or ere. arch. and dial.
1340. Ayenb., 172. Auore þet he come to ssrifte.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froissart, II. xviii. 34. In that season afore or Fraunces Atremon was putte oute of the towne.
1552. Lyndesay, Monarche, 5326. Affore that day be done, Thare salbe signis in Sonne and Mone.
1611. Bible, Ezek. xxxiii. 22. Now the hand of the Lord was vpon mee in the euening, afore hee that was escaped came.
1684. Bunyan, Pilgr., II. 63. That they were hanged afore we came hither.
1827. F. Cooper, Prairie, I. iii. 49. They will be here afore you can find a cover!
D. Comb. 1. Of time.
a. Formerly prefixed in the sense of ‘previously, beforehand’ to vbs. and pples., as in afore-bar = preclude, afore-see, afore-acted, afore-running.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 502. Which lettith and afore barrith … the comaundement of God in his lawe of kinde to be doon.
a. 1564. Becon, Christ’s Chron. (1844), 552. Afore-seeing the grievous plagues.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. 1653, 185. The signs, afore-running or demonstrating of the instant disease, are these.
1700. J. Marshall, in Misc. Curiosa, 1708, III. 259. The afore-acted Evil that his Soul did in its other Life.
1877. J. Morley, Crit. Misc., Ser. II. 35. Only as life wears on, do all its aforeshapen lines come into light.
b. Still used in ppl. combinations, with the meaning, ‘earlier in time or order, previously in a discourse or document,’ as in aforesaid, aforegoing, and the similar afore-cited, -given obs., -mentioned, -named, -spoken obs., -told obs.
1418. Chichele, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 2, I. 4. The avys of ȝour uncle a forseyd.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., II. iii. 64. Thersites is a foole, and as aforesaid, Patroclus is a foole.
1863. Kemble, Resid. Georgia, 23. Our housemaid, the aforesaid Mary.
1592. trans. Junius, on Apocal., i. 8. A confirmation of the afore going.
1815. Wellington, in Gurwood’s Desp., X. 350. The aforegoing orders are to take effect.
1683. Salmon, Doron Med., II. 417. The vertues you have in the aforecited place.
1741. Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. 131. For the reasons aforegiven.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, ix. 133. These aforementioned Philosophers also, do call the world euerlasting.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, 92. At lower rates than the afore-mentioned.
1838. Dickens, Nich. Nick., xxviii. (C. D. ed.), 231. Newman wiped his eyes with the aforementioned duster.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turkes (1638), 183. The two valiant aforenamed worthy captaines.
1845. J. H. Newman, Development, 341. And converted many of the aforenamed heretics.
1582–8. Hist. Jas. VI. (1804), 38. Making his residence at Glasgow for the caus afoirtold.
2. Of place. Afore-rider obs., an avant-courier, scout; aforeship obs., the front part of the ship.
1470. Rebell. in Linc. (1847), 16. Their aforeryders were com to Rotherham.
1471. Hist. Arriv. Edw. IV. (1838), 8. Whan the Kynges aforne-ridars had thus espyed their beinge [there].
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. iii. (1495), 105. The formeste celle of the brayne highte prora in latyn as it were aforshyppe.
3. with again, on: see AFORNENS, AFORN-ON.
