forehouse

English

Etymology

From fore- +‎ house.

Noun

forehouse (plural forehouses)

1. The front or forward part or room of a house; a foyer.
   • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CCLXIV”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson;  […], →OCLC:

     Had she been in the fore-house, and no passage to go through to get at the street door, she had certainly been gone.

   • 1978, Raymond Fieldhouse, Bernard Jennings, A history of Richmond and Swaledale - Page 247:

     It consisted of a forehouse where he had a table, four chairs, a longsettle, a dresser, his pewter and 'other necessarys' which probably included the hearth furniture and cooking utensils; a parlour with chairs, a coffer and a spinning wheel; [...]

   • 1987, Houses of the North York Moors - Page 80:

     Central-lobby-entry houses overcame this hardship with a front door from which kitchen and forehouse could be entered independently, and by providing the kitchen with its own external rear door.

   • 1990, Joan Thirsk, M. W. Barley, Maurice Willmore Barley, Chapters of The Agrarian History of England and Wales - Page 70:

     Richard Eltringham of Auckland St Andrew, farmer, had a forehouse or hall with only one chair, one table, two cupboards, along with brass and [...]

   • 2009, Roger A. Naylor, The Cobra Conspiracy - Page 285:

     “[...] When you get up this way, pick it up, will you?” “Sure thing,” he replied. He looked at his watch, 1140 hours. He turned and started toward the forehouse, smiling to himself, rather surprised at the ease with which he had adapted to the maritime twenty-four-hour clock.

See also

• lobby