forne

From Middle English, variation of Middle English ferne (“old, long ago, distant, past”), from Old English fyrn (“former, ancient”), from Proto-Germanic *furnaz, *fernaz, *firnijaz (“old, former”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“next, of, out, through”). More at fern.

forne (comparative more forne, superlative most forne)

1. (obsolete) Former.
   • 1564, Nicholas Udall, Apophthegmatum opus (originally by Erasmus)

     The Camel's hous; whiche it is saied that a certain king / In forne yeares, when he had on a Dromedarie Camele escaped the handes of his enemies, builded there.

• Freon, freon, orfen

Either revived or borrowed from Old Norse forn or Swedish forn respectively. from Proto-Germanic *fernaz (“foregoing, previous; recent”), from Proto-Indo-European *perǝm-, *perǝ- (“fore, first”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“forth, over, across, through”). A inherited version from Old Danish forn (“old, weak”) went out of use, and was replaced by the more commonly used adjective gammel.

forne

1. (dated) ancient

   Synonyms: fordum, gamle, tidligere

• “forne” in Den Danske Ordbog

forne

1. vocative singular of fornus

forne

1. definite natural masculine singular of forn

• eforn, fenor