Hypertext Webster Gateway: "forefather"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Forefather \Fore"fa`ther\ (?; 277), n.
One who precedes another in the line of genealogy in any
degree, but usually in a remote degree; an ancestor.
Respecting your forefathers, you would have been taught
to respect yourselves. --Burke.
{Forefathers' Day}, the anniversary of the day (December 21)
on which the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth,
Massachusetts (1620). On account of a mistake in reckoning
the change from Old Style to New Style, it has generally
been celebrated on the 22d.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
forefather
n 1: the founder of a family; "keep the faith of our forefathers"
[syn: {father}, {sire}]
2: person from an earlier time who contributed to the tradition
shared by some group; "our forefathers brought forth a
great nation"
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