An ancestor, especially a more distant one from generations past; a forefather or relative who lived before you.
From 'fore-' (before) + 'bear' (from Old English 'beran,' to carry or be). Originally meant someone who came before—one who carried the family line forward. Different from the verb 'forbear' (to refrain).
Your forebears are literally the people who bore you into existence through the generations—they're the word's etymology made flesh, a family tree compression into one word meaning 'the ones who came before.'
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