forn

See also: fórn

Contents

English

Etymology

From Middle English forn, from Old English foran (“before, in front, forward, to the front”). More at fore.

Adverb

forn (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Fore, before; in front of; forward; previously.
   • The Parnassus plays

     Stories of love, where forne the wondring bench, / The lisping gallant might injoy his wench.

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin furnus.

Noun

forn m (plural forns)

1. oven
2. bakery

Synonyms

• (bakery): fleca
• (bakery): forn de pa

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Cornish

Etymology

From Latin furnus. Cognate with Welsh ffwrn (“oven”)

Pronunciation

• (Revived Middle Cornish) IPA^(key): [fɔrn]
• (Revived Late Cornish) IPA^(key): [vɔrn]

Noun

forn f (plural fornow)

1. oven

   Yma pysk y'n forn.

   There’s a fish in the oven.

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Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse forn, from Proto-Germanic *fernaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔrtn/

  Rhymes: -ɔrtn

Adjective

forn (comparative fornari, superlative fornastur)

1. old, ancient

Declension

    positive (strong declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	forn	forn	fornt
accusative	fornan	forna	fornt
dative	fornum	fornri	fornu
genitive	forns	fornrar	forns
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornir	fornar	forn
accusative	forna	fornar	forn
dative	fornum	fornum	fornum
genitive	fornra	fornra	fornra

    positive (weak declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	forni	forna	forna
accusative	forna	fornu	forna
dative	forna	fornu	forna
genitive	forna	fornu	forna
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornu	fornu	fornu
accusative	fornu	fornu	fornu
dative	fornu	fornu	fornu
genitive	fornu	fornu	fornu

    comparative

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornari	fornari	fornara
accusative	fornari	fornari	fornara
dative	fornari	fornari	fornara
genitive	fornari	fornari	fornara
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornari	fornari	fornari
accusative	fornari	fornari	fornari
dative	fornari	fornari	fornari
genitive	fornari	fornari	fornari

    superlative (strong declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornastur	fornust	fornast
accusative	fornastan	fornasta	fornast
dative	fornustum	fornastri	fornustu
genitive	fornasts	fornastrar	fornasts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornastir	fornastar	fornust
accusative	fornasta	fornastar	fornust
dative	fornustum	fornustum	fornustum
genitive	fornastra	fornastra	fornastra

    superlative (weak declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornasti	fornasta	fornasta
accusative	fornasta	fornustu	fornasta
dative	fornasta	fornustu	fornasta
genitive	fornasta	fornustu	fornasta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornustu	fornustu	fornustu
accusative	fornustu	fornustu	fornustu
dative	fornustu	fornustu	fornustu
genitive	fornustu	fornustu	fornustu

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Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *fur-

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foːrn/, [foːrˠn]

Adverb

fōrn

1. before, in front of, opposit, across from

   Gesæt Benedictus fórn ongeán ðam — Sat Benedict opposit to them

Related terms

• forne
• foran

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *furhnō (“trout”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /forn/, [forˠn]

Noun

forn f

1. trout

Usage notes

• The precise gender of the word is unknown. It is generally regarded as a feminine a-stem due to cognates in related Germanic languages.

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Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fernaz (“foregoing, previous; recent”), from Proto-Indo-European *perHm-, *perH- (“fore, first”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“forth, over, across, through”). Cognate with Old English firn, fyrn-, Old Frisian fīr, fēr, Old Saxon fern, Old High German firni, Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐌴𐌹𐍃 (fairneis).

Adjective

forn (comparative fornari, superlative fornastr)

1. old, ancient

Declension

    Strong declension of forn

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	forn	forn	fornt
accusative	fornan	forna	fornt
dative	fornum	fornri	fornu
genitive	forns	fornrar	forns
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornir	fornar	forn
accusative	forna	fornar	forn
dative	fornum	fornum	fornum
genitive	fornra	fornra	fornra

    Weak declension of forn

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	forni	forna	forna
accusative	forna	fornu	forna
dative	forna	fornu	forna
genitive	forna	fornu	forna
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornu	fornu	fornu
accusative	fornu	fornu	fornu
dative	fornum	fornum	fornum
genitive	fornu	fornu	fornu

    Declension of comparative of forn

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornari	fornari	fornara
accusative	fornara	fornari	fornara
dative	fornara	fornari	fornara
genitive	fornara	fornari	fornara
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornari	fornari	fornari
accusative	fornari	fornari	fornari
dative	fornurum	fornurum	fornurum
genitive	fornari	fornari	fornari

    Strong declension of superlative of forn

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornastr	fornust	fornastt
accusative	fornastan	fornasta	fornastt
dative	fornustum	fornastri	fornustu
genitive	fornasts	fornastrar	fornasts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornastir	fornastar	fornust
accusative	fornasta	fornastar	fornust
dative	fornustum	fornustum	fornustum
genitive	fornastra	fornastra	fornastra

    Weak declension of superlative of forn

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornasti	fornasta	fornasta
accusative	fornasta	fornustu	fornasta
dative	fornasta	fornustu	fornasta
genitive	fornasta	fornustu	fornasta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornustu	fornustu	fornustu
accusative	fornustu	fornustu	fornustu
dative	fornustum	fornustum	fornustum
genitive	fornustu	fornustu	fornustu

Descendants

• Faroese: fornur
• Icelandic: forn
• Swedish: forn

References

• forn in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

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Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin furnus. Gallo-Romance cognate with Old French forn.

Noun

forn m (oblique plural forns, nominative singular forns, nominative plural forn)

1. oven (device for baking, cooking, etc.)

Descendants

• Catalan: forn
• Occitan: forn

References

• von Wartburg, Walther (1928-2002), “furnus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 30, page 902

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Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse forn, from Proto-Germanic *fernaz.

Adjective

forn

1. ancient, very old

Declension

Declension of forn (strong)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	forn	forn	fornt
accusative	fornan	forna	fornt
dative	fornum, -om	forni	fornu, -o
genitive	forns	fornar	forns
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornir, -e(r)	fornar	forn
accusative	forna	fornar	forn
dative	fornum, -om	fornum, -om	fornum, -om
genitive	forna	forna	forna

Declension of forn (weak)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	forni, -e	forna	forna
accusative	forna	fornu, -o	forna
dative	forna	fornu, -o	forna
genitive	forna	fornu, -o	forna
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fornu, -o	fornu, -o	fornu, -o
accusative	fornu, -o	fornu, -o	fornu, -o
dative	fornu, -o	fornu, -o	fornu, -o
genitive	fornu, -o	fornu, -o	fornu, -o

Descendants

• Swedish: forn

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Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish forn, from Old Norse forn, from Proto-Germanic *fernaz (“foregoing, previous; recent”), from Proto-Indo-European *perǝm-, *perǝ- (“fore, first”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“forth, over, across, through”)

Adjective

forn

1. ancient, very old

Declension

Inflection of forn
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	forn	—	—
Neuter singular	fornt	—	—
Plural	forna	—	—
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	forne	—	—
All	forna	—	—
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.

Related terms

• fornforskare
• fornforskning
• forngermansk
• fornminne
• fornnordisk
• fornsvensk
• forntid