Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Before; formerly.
  • Before.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • preposition obsolete Before.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • preposition obsolete Before.
  • adverb obsolete Before.
  • conjunction obsolete Before.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old English tōforan, from  ("to") + foran ("front, fore-part", n.), dative case of fora ("front"). More at fore.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word tofore.

Examples

  • Aaron: Because ye have not believed me and sanctified my name tofore the children of Israel, and given to me the laud, but have done this in your name, ye shall not bring this people into the land that I shall give to them.

    The Golden Legend, vol. 1 1230-1298 1900

  • And when the provost heard this he was greatly moved, and sent for a multitude of people, and made Eugenia to be brought with the other servants of Jesu Christ bound in iron, and established a day when they all should be delivered to beasts for to be devoured, and then were they called tofore the provost, which said to Eugenia: Say to me, thou right cursed wretch, if your God hath taught you to do such works as for to corrupt and defile the women forcibly against their will?

    The Golden Legend, vol. 5 1230-1298 1900

  • And dread thee nothing of this barbarian, but command that we both two be called tofore thee, and take heed what shall be said between us both softly, for I shall so refrain him that he shall no more dare demand such thing.

    The Golden Legend, vol. 5 1230-1298 1900

  • There was a priest of a parish, which was of honest and good life, and could say no mass but mass of our Lady, the which he sang devoutly in the honour of her, wherefore he was accused tofore the bishop, and was anon called tofore him.

    The Golden Legend, vol. 5 1230-1298 1900

  • And when Lysias heard their renomee he made them to be called tofore him, and demanded their names and their country.

    The Golden Legend, vol. 5 1230-1298 1900

  • And among all other, Alban was the best knight, and most best proved in strength, wherefore he had a sovereign name tofore all other, whose arms were of azure with a saltire of gold, which arms afterward bare the noble king Offa, first founder of the monastery called S. Albans, and he bearing those arms had ever glorious victory, and after his death he left those arms in the monastery of S. Alban.

    The Golden Legend, vol. 3 1230-1298 1900

  • Then Almachius, calling tofore him S. Cecilia, said to her: Of what condition art thou?

    The Golden Legend, vol. 6 1230-1298 1900

  • No man hath leave to gather thereof tofore the sun-rising, nor after the sun going down.

    Archive 2008-07-01 2008

  • No man hath leave to gather thereof tofore the sun-rising, nor after the sun going down.

    Happy Bastille Day 2008

  • You are not now, perhaps, so impersonal as here-tofore.

    The Fortunes of Nigel 2004

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "And then he turned again unto Sir Melias, and there he alit and dressed him softly on his horse tofore him, for the truncheon of his spear was in his body; and Sir Galahad start up behind him, and held him in his arms, and so brought him to the abbey, and there unarmed him and brought him to his chamber."

    - Thomas Malory, 'The Holy Grail'.

    September 8, 2009