The time or events that came before; the past or what has already happened.
From 'fore-' (before) and 'past' (from Old English 'pæst,' meaning gone by in time). This combines the idea of 'before' with 'the past,' though it's somewhat redundant and archaic.
What's fascinating is that 'forepast' is almost tautological—it's like saying 'the past-past'—which is probably why it fell out of common use; English speakers preferred simpler words like just 'past' or 'history.'
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