The forefront is the most important or advanced position. At the forefront, push to the forefront, forefront of research.
It nearly always appears as at the forefront of, and the thing named is usually a field rather than a place — at the forefront of medicine, of the campaign. It has almost lost its literal sense of the front part. Note that the compound is fore plus front, which is doubly forward and always was.
1nounforefrontThe most important or advanced position.
“The university is at the forefront of research into new cancer treatments.”
forefront is a leading position.
Middle English forefrount is fore plus front, from Latin frons, forehead. The compound is doubly forward.
Middle English
forefrount
English, today
forefront
From Middle English forefrount, forfrount, forefronte, equivalent to fore + front.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA