the.com/forebear
Every face you'll never see, stacked into the bones you carry now.
means A forebear is an ancestor — someone from whom you are descended, usually further back than a grandparent.
from From Scots and northern English, built plainly from "fore" (before) plus "be-er" — literally one who exists before you, a be-er beforehand. Note the spelling: this is the "to be" forebear, not "forbear" meaning to hold back, which comes from "bear" as in carry or endure. Same sound, different bones.
- word roots
- From 'fore' plus 'be-er': one who existed before
- math trick
- Go back 30 generations: over a billion slots
- shared blood
- Trace far enough, everyone's forebears overlap
- common ancestor
- All living humans share kin within a few thousand years
- spelling trap
- Forebear, not forbear, which means to refrain
for instance
william penn — quaker founder of pennsylvania, 1681, whose pacifist principles influenced american religious tolerance
john adams — founding father of the united states whose restraint during the quasi-war with france prevented full conflict in 1798