Foreman
/ˈfɔːr.mən/noun
A person in charge of a group of workers, especially in manual labor or manufacturing.
Did you know?Its oldest sense is simply “the man in front,” from Old English *fore* (“before, in front”) + *mann* (“man”), with no occult origin — just a brutally literal hierarchy word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fōrjamannaz
“a man placed in front; a leader”
Old English
OE
foremann
“a man in front; leader, chief”
Middle English
ME
foreman
“leader, headman, one who stands at the front”
Modern English
English
foreman
“supervisor of a work crew or jury”