Adjective. Foreign, strange. From the Latin foraneus (external, from outside), and this one from foras (outside). With the same root we have the terms, fuera (adverb), afuera (adverb), afueras (feminine plural noun), forastero (adjective mainly used as a noun), etc. The latin term forum, from which we have foro, refers to an external public place. Remember that the term ‘foreing currency’ is usually translated into Spanish as divisa extranjera, although I think the adjective extranjera in this case is redundant, as the term divisa refers always to a foreign currency. That’s why we say mercado de divisas: forex market.
In legal and business Spanish, we will see this term in expressions such as ley foránea, juez foráneo, derecho foráneo, inversiones foráneas, etc.: E.g.: Creció inversión foránea 2.6% en primer semester: Foreign investment grew 2.6% in the first semester.
On another note, we have an interesting term with the same root: huraño: bearish, shy; but I cannot find the connection. dc

La palabra del día: Foráneo/a

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