An open area or courtyard in front of a building, like the open space at the entrance of a gas station or palace.
From 'fore-' (front, before) plus 'court' from Old French 'cort', from Latin 'cohors' originally meaning 'a farmyard, enclosure'. Architectural term dating to medieval times.
Famous forecourts like those at Buckingham Palace or major temples are designed as impressive first impressions—the word literally means the 'court before the court', and architecture uses that spatial hierarchy to convey power!
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