forward

Etymology 1

From Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard (“forward, inclined to the front, fore, early, former”), from Proto-Germanic *fura- (“fore-”), *warþaz (“turned”), equivalent to fore + -ward. Cognate with Dutch voorwaarts (“forward”), German vorwärts (“forward”).

adj

1. Situated toward or at the front of something.
   The fire was confined to the forward portion of the store.
   the forward gun in a ship, the forward ship in a fleet
   1. (of troops, guns etc.) Situated toward or near the enemy lines.
      The forward battalion took a hammering.
2. Acting in or pertaining to the direction in which someone or something is facing.
   My forward vision is fine, but my peripheral vision is poor.
3. Acting in or pertaining to the direction of travel or movement.
   forward motion, forward thrust, forward momentum
4. (figurative) Moving in the desired direction of progress.
   This is an important forward step for the country.
5. Having the usual order or sequence.
   The front of the fire engine has backward writing, that can be read in a mirror, as well as forward writing.
6. (finance, commerce) Expected or scheduled to take place in the future.
   The stock price is currently 12 times forward earnings.
   The price for forward delivery is presently higher than the spot price.
7. Advanced beyond the usual degree; advanced for the season; precocious.
   These students are very forward in their learning.
   The grass is forward, or forward for the season. We have a forward spring.
8. Without customary restraint or modesty; bold, cheeky, pert, presumptuous or pushy.
   She is a very forward young lady, not afraid to speak her mind.
   […] the lady conceived the same desires with himself, and was on her side contriving how to give the captain proper encouragement, without appearing too forward; for she was a strict observer of all rules of decorum. 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
   He said that if one offered himself to be a soldier under him, who was forward to tell what he could or would do, if he could only get sight of the enemy, he had but little confidence in him. 1859, Henry David Thoreau, A Plea for Captain John Brown
   "Would you think it forward of me to kiss you?" asked Tristran. 1999:, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, pg. 44 (2001 Perennial paperback edition)
9. (obsolete) Ready; prompt; ardently inclined; in a bad sense, eager or hasty.

adv

1. At, near or towards the front of something.
   She was sitting well forward in the railway carriage.
   The bus driver told everyone standing up to move forward.
   1. (nautical) At, near, or towards the bow of a vessel (with the frame of reference within the vessel).
2. In the direction in which someone or something is facing.
   I leant forward to get a better look.
   The grandfather clock toppled forward and crashed to the ground.
3. In the desired or usual direction of movement or progress, physically or figuratively; onwards.
   After spending an hour stuck in the mud, we could once again move forward.
   Wind the film forward a few frames.
   Don't forget to put the clocks forward by one hour tonight!
   We need to move this project forward.
4. So that front and back are in the usual orientation.
   Don't wear your baseball cap backward; turn it forward.
5. In the usual order or sequence.
   A palindrome reads the same backward as forward.
6. Into the future.
   From this day forward, there will be no more brussels sprouts at the cafeteria.
7. To an earlier point in time. See also bring forward.
   The meeting has been moved forward an hour. It was at 3 o'clock; now it's at 2 o'clock.

verb

1. (transitive) To advance, promote.
   He did all he could to forward the interests of the school.
   Mary had a suspicion that this plan had been arranged beforehand, for she knew how the lewd old woman loved to forward love affairs […]. 1941, W Somerset Maugham, Up at the Villa, Vintage, published 2004, page 26
2. (transitive) To send (a letter, email etc.) on to a third party.
   I'll be glad to forward your mail to you while you're gone.
3. (transitive, bookbinding) To assemble (a book) by sewing sections, attaching cover boards, and so on.

noun

1. (rugby) One of the eight players (comprising two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight, collectively known as the pack) whose primary task is to gain and maintain possession of the ball (compare back).
2. (soccer) A player on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.
3. (ice hockey) An umbrella term for a centre or winger in ice hockey.
4. (basketball) The small forward or power forward position; two frontcourt positions that are taller than guards but shorter than centers.
5. (nautical) The front part of a vessel.
6. (Internet) An e-mail message that is forwarded to another recipient or recipients; an electronic chain letter.
   When you receive your new pen-pal's email address, do not automatically put it in your address book and use the email Addy to send 'forwards' to. Not every pen pal likes 'forwards', especially jokes and meaningless emails. 2004, Tamara Stevens, What Is Snail Mail?: The Lost Art of Letterwriting, page 27
   This method attaches the files to a new email, which is fine if you want to create a new email. The only problem with this is that it doesn't work if you'd rather send forwards or replies. 2009, Joli Ballew, Windows 7 for the Over 50s in Simple Steps
7. (finance) A direct agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specific point in the future; distinguished from a futures contract in that the latter is standardized and traded on an exchange.
8. Misspelling of foreword (“preface or introduction”)..

Etymology 2

From Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard (“condition, bargain, agreement, contract, treaty, assurance”), equivalent to fore- + ward (“ward, keeping”). Cognate with Scots forward (“covenant, compact”), Dutch voorwaarde (“condition, terms, proviso, stipulation”). More at fore-, ward.

noun

1. (dialectal or obsolete) Agreement; covenant.