foreground

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
foreground/ˈfɔːɡraʊnd/

▶noun

• 1 the part of a view or image nearest to the observer.

• 2 the most prominent or important position.

▶verb place in the foreground.

– origin C17: from fore- + ground1, on the pattern of Du. voorgrond.