King James Bible Dictionary

FRONT, noun [Latin frons, frontis; Gr. the nose.]

1. Properly, the forehead, or part of the face above the eyes; hence, the whole face.

His front yet threatens, and his frowns command.

2. The forehead or face, as expressive of the temper or disposition; as a fold front equivalent to boldness or impudence. So a hardened front is shamelessness.

3. The forepart of any thing; as the front of a house, the principal face or side.

4. The forepart or van of an army or a body of troops.

5. The part or place before the face, or opposed to it, or to the forepart of a thing. He stood in front of his troops. The road passes in front of his house.

6. The most conspicuous part or particular.

7. Impudence; as men of front

FRONT, verb transitive

1. To oppose face to face; to oppose directly.

I shall front thee, like some staring ghost, with all my wrongs about me.

2. To stand opposed or opposite, or over against any thing; as, his house fronts the church.

FRONT, verb intransitive

1. To stand foremost.

2. To have the face or front towards any point of compass.

FRONT'AL, noun [Latin frontale., frons.]

1. In medicine, a medicament or preparation to be applied to the forehead.

2. In architecture, a little pediment or frontpiece, over a small door or window.

3. In Jewish ceremonies, a frontlet or browband, consisting of four pieces of vellum, laid on leather, and tied round the forehead in the synagogue; each piece containing some text of scripture.

FRONT'BOX, noun The box in a playhouse before the rest.

FRONT'ED, adjective Formed with a front.

FRONTIE'R, noun

The marches; the border, confine, or extreme part of a country, bordering on another country; that is, the part furthest advanced, or the part that fronts an enemy, or which an invading enemy meets in front, or which fronts another country.

FRONTIE'R, adjective Lying on the exterior part; bordering; conterminous; as a frontier town.

FRONTIE'RED, adjective Guarded on the frontiers.

FRONTINAC'

FRONTINIAC, noun A species of French wine, named from the place in Languedoc where it is produced.

FRONT'ISPIECE, noun [Latin frontispicium; frons and specio, to view.]

1. In architecture, the principal face of a building; the face that directly presents itself to the eye.

2. An ornamental figure or engraving fronting the first page of a book, or at the beginning.

FRONT'LESS, adjective Wanting shame or modesty; not diffident; as frontless vice; frontless flattery.

FRONT'LET, noun [from front.] A frontal or browband; a fillet or band worn on the forehead. Deuteronomy 6:8.

Occurs only in Exodus 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8, and 11:18. The meaning of the injunction to the Israelites, with regard to the statues and precepts given them, that they should "bind them for a sign upon their hand, and have them as frontlets between their eyes," was that they should keep them distinctly in view and carefully attend to them. But soon after their return from Babylon they began to interpret this injunction literally, and had accordingly portions of the law written out and worn about their person. These they called tephillin, i.e., "prayers." The passages so written out on strips of parchment were these, Exodus 12:2-10; 13:11-21; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-21. They were then "rolled up in a case of black calfskin, which was attached to a stiffer piece of leather, having a thong one finger broad and one cubit and a half long. Those worn on the forehead were written on four strips of parchment, and put into four little cells within a square case, which had on it the Hebrew letter called shin, the three points of which were regarded as an emblem of God." This case tied around the forehead in a particular way was called "the tephillah on the head." (See PHYLACTERIES.)

A leather band worn on the forehead, containing certain commandments
Exodus 13:6-16; Deuteronomy 6:1-8; Deuteronomy 11:18
Phylactery

(Exodus 13:16; 6:8; 11:18; Matthew 23:5) These "frontlets" or "phylacteries" were strips of parchment, on which were written four passages of Scripture, (Exodus 13:2-10,11-17; 6:4-9,13-23) in an ink prepared for the purpose. They were then rolled up in a case of black calfskin, which was attached to a stiffer piece of leather, having a thong one finger broad and one and a half cubits long. They were placed at the bend of the left arm. Those worn on the forehead were written on four strips of parchment, and put into four little cells within a square case on which the letter was written. The square had two thongs, on which Hebrew letters were inscribed. That phylacteries were used as amulets is certain, and was very natural. The expression "they make broad their phylacteries," (Matthew 23:5) refers not so much to the phylactery itself, which seems to have been of a prescribed breadth, as to the case in which the parchment was kept, which the Pharisees, among their other pretentious customs, (Mark 7:3,4; Luke 5:33) etc., made as conspicuous as they could. It is said that the Pharisees wore them always, whereas the common people only used them at prayers.

FRONTROOM, noun a room or apartment in the forepart of a house.