An archaic or dialectal term meaning 'past' or 'near' in relation to a location, often used in Scottish English.
Combination of 'forth' and Old English 'by' meaning 'beside' or 'near.' The compound suggests movement past or beside something, combining directional and locational meaning.
Scottish English preserved many 'forth-' compounds that died out in standard English, which is why 'forthby' survives in place names and old deeds—it's like finding dialects that are linguistically more conservative!
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