In front; beforehand; an archaic or dialectal term meaning 'in advance' or 'previously.'
Old English compound: 'fore-' (before, in front) + 'by' (originally meaning 'near' or 'alongside'). Fell out of common use as English evolved more sophisticated adverbial forms.
English has dropped hundreds of adverbs like 'foreby' in favor of cleaner alternatives—'previously,' 'in front,' 'beforehand.' Tracing these lost words shows how languages constantly prune and reshape themselves for efficiency.
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