Wiktionary

form

See also: FORM, Form, -form, and form.

English

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English Wikipedia has articles on:
Wikipedia Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English forme (“shape, figure, manner, bench, frame, seat, condition, agreement, etc.”), borrowed from Old French forme, from Latin fōrma (“shape, figure, image, outline, plan, mold, frame, case, etc., manner, sort, kind, etc.”).

In sense "division grouping school students" (now dated), derived from public school nomenclature later adopted by state schools. It is sometimes said to be from the sense of "bench", where students of certain ages would sit together,[1] though this is disputed,[2] or alternatively from the sense of "established method of expression or practice".[3]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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form (countable and uncountable, plural forms)

  1. (heading, physical) To do with shape.
    1. The shape or visible structure of a thing or person.
      • 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations‎[3]:
        Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.
      • 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The Lonely Pyramid:
        The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. […] Roaring, leaping, pouncing, the tempest raged about the wanderers, drowning and blotting out their forms with sandy spume.
      • 2013 May 10, Audrey Garric, “Urban canopies let nature bloom”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 22, page 30:
        As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become a form of urban utopia and green roofs are spreading fast. Last year 1m square metres of plant-covered roofing was built in France, as much as in the US, and 10 times more than in Germany, the pioneer in this field.
    2. A thing that gives shape to other things as in a mold.
    3. Regularity, beauty, or elegance.
    4. (philosophy) The inherent nature of an object; that which the mind itself contributes as the condition of knowing; that in which the essence of a thing consists.
    5. Characteristics not involving atomic components. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
    6. (dated) A long bench with no back.
      • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XX, Chapter iv, leaf 401v:
        And there with syr Launcelot wrapped his mantel aboute his arme wel and surely and by thenne they had geten a grete fourme oute of the halle and there with all they rasshed at the dore
        "And therewith Sir Launcelot wrapped his mantle about his arm well and surely; and by then they had gotten a great form out of the hall, and therewithal they rashed at the door."
      • 1585–1586 January 18, “LXIII. Testamentum Johannis Ogle.”, in [William Greenwell], editor, Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham. Part II (The Publications of the Surtees Society; XXXVIII), Durham: Published for the Society by George Andrews, Durham; London: Whittaker and Co., 13 Ave Maria Lane; T. and W. Boone, 29 New Bond Street; Edinburgh: Blackwood and Sons, published 1860, →OCLC, page 132:
        In the hall. One large table, with frame. 10s. ij cobbordes 8s. j fourme, j chaire, and j kenninge measure, 12d.
      • 1981, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 10:
        I can see the old schoolroom yet: the broken-down desks and the worn-out forms with knots in that got stuck into your backside […].
      • 2010, Stephen Fry, The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography:
        The prefect grabbed me by the shoulders and steered me down a passageway, and down another and finally through a door that led into a long, low dining-room crowded with loudly breakfasting boys sitting on long, shiny oak forms, as benches used to be called.
    7. (fine arts) The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body.
    8. (crystallography) The combination of planes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid.
  2. (social) To do with structure or procedure.
    1. An order of doing things, as in religious ritual.
    2. Established method of expression or practice; fixed way of proceeding; conventional or stated scheme; formula.
      • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
        Those whom form of laws
        Condemned to die.
      • 1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:
        [H]e sprang into the road, without previously going through the empty form of advising the driver of his intention, to pick [his hat] up.
    3. Constitution; mode of construction, organization, etc.; system.
      a republican form of government
    4. Show without substance; empty, outside appearance; vain, trivial, or conventional ceremony; conventionality; formality.
      a matter of mere form
    5. (archaic) A class or rank in society.
      • a. 1716 (date written), [Gilbert] Burnet, edited by [Gilbert Burnet Jr.], Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] Thomas Ward […], published 1724, →OCLC:
        ladies of a high form
    6. (UK) Past history (in a given area); a habit of doing something.
      • 2011 May 4, Jane Martinson, The Guardian:
        It's fair to say she has form on this: she has criticised David Cameron's proposal to create all-women shortlists for prospective MPs, tried to ban women wearing high heels at work as the resulting pain made them take time off work, and tried to reduce the point at which an abortion can take place from 24 to 21 weeks.
      • 2023 July 4, Marina Hyde, “Who’s for political Bazball with Rishi? Voters? Tories? Anyone?”, in The Guardian‎[4]:
        As for the notion that it’s not how Sunak would have won, that doesn’t mean a whole lot coming from a guy whose recent form includes losing to Liz Truss.
    7. Level of performance.
      The team's form has been poor this year.
      The orchestra was on top form this evening.
    8. (UK, education) A class or year of school pupils.
    9. (UK, education, dated) A numbered division grouping school students (usually every two years) in education between Years 1 and 13 (often preceded by an ordinal number to specify the form, as in sixth form). [from 1550s]
      • 1653, Corderius, Colloquia scholastica Anglo-Latina, […] 1653‎[5], page 220:
        Nathaniel: Maister, there is nobody to teach in the sixth form.
        Maister: What a thing is this?
        N: He is sick in bed.
        M: How do you know?
        N: One of the scholars in his house told me so.
      • 1880, Charles Kingsley, Out of the Deep: Words for the Sorrowful‎[6], London: Macmillan & Co., page 190:
        I am a very weak, insufficient scholar, sitting on the lowest form in Thy great school-house, which is the whole world, and trying to spell out the mere letters of Thy alphabet […]
      • 1928, George Bickerstaff, The mayor, and other folk:
        One other day after afternoon school, Mr. Percival came behind me and put his hand on me. "Let me see, what's your name? Which form are you in? […]"
      • 1976, Ronald King, School and college: studies of post-sixteen education:
        From the sixth form will come the scholars and the administrators.
  3. A blank document or template to be filled in by the user.
    To apply for the position, complete the application form.
  4. A specimen document to be copied or imitated.
  5. (grammar) A grouping of words which maintain grammatical context in different usages; the particular shape or structure of a word or part of speech.
    participial forms;  verb forms
  6. The den or home of a hare.
  7. (computing, programming) A window or dialogue box.
    • 1998, Gary Cornell, Visual Basic 6 from the ground up, page 426:
      While it is quite amazing how much one can do with Visual Basic with the code attached to a single form, to take full advantage of VB you'll need to start using multiple forms and having the code on all the forms in your project interact.
    • 2010, Neil Smyth, C# Essentials:
      Throughout this chapter we will work with a form in a new project.
  8. (taxonomy) An infraspecific rank.
  9. (printing, dated) The type or other matter from which an impression is to be taken, arranged and secured in a chase.
    • 2010, Andrea Levy, The Long Song, Tinder Press (2017), page 382:
      And the form is inked, the paper is applied, the bed is slid, and the platen is levered down and the proof is printed.
  10. (geometry) A quantic.
  11. (sports, fitness) A specific way of performing a movement.

Usage notes

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  • In accents without the horse-hoarse merger, a distinction in pronunciation was formerly made between senses 1.6 "long bench", 2.8 "class of pupils", and 6 "den", pronounced /fo(ə)ɹm/, /foəm/ (< Middle English /foːrm/, /fuːrm/) and all other senses, pronounced /fɔː(ɹ)m/ (< Middle English /fɔrm/).[4][5]

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Korean: 폼 (pom)
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: form

Translations

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Verb

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form (third-person singular simple present forms, present participle forming, simple past and past participle formed)

  1. (transitive) To assume (a certain shape or visible structure).
    When you kids form a straight line I'll hand out the lollies.
    • 2013 May–June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7:
      Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.
  2. (transitive) To give (a shape or visible structure) to a thing or person.
    Roll out the dough to form a thin sheet.
  3. (intransitive) To take shape.
    When icicles start to form on the eaves you know the roads will be icy.
    • 2013 July–August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke”, in American Scientist:
      As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.
  4. To put together or bring into being; assemble.
    The socialists did not have enough MPs to form a government.
    Paul McCartney and John Lennon formed The Beatles in Liverpool in 1960.
  5. (transitive, linguistics) To create (a word) by inflection or derivation.
    By adding "-ness", you can form a noun from an adjective.
  6. (transitive) To constitute, to compose, to make up.
    Teenagers form the bulk of extreme traffic offenders.
    • 1795–1797, Edmund Burke, “(please specify |letter=1 to 4)”, in [Letters on a Regicide Peace], London: [Rivington]:
      the diplomatic politicians […] who formed by far the majority
    • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
      But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶ […] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window at the old mare feeding in the meadow below by the brook, and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, […].
    • 1948 May, Stanley Pashko, “The Biggest Family”, in Boys' Life, Volume 38, Number 5, Boy Scouts of America, ISSN 0006-8608, p.10:
      Insects form the biggest family group in nature's kingdom, and also the oldest.
  7. To mould or model by instruction or discipline.
    Singing in a choir helps to form a child's sociality.
    • 1731–1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays
      'Tis education forms the common mind.
    • 1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
      Thus formed for speed, he challenges the wind.
  8. To provide (a hare) with a form.
  9. (electrical, historical, transitive) To treat (plates) to prepare them for introduction into a storage battery, causing one plate to be composed more or less of spongy lead, and the other of lead peroxide. This was formerly done by repeated slow alternations of the charging current, but later the plates or grids were coated or filled, one with a paste of red lead and the other with litharge, introduced into the cell, and formed by a direct charging current.

Conjugation

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Conjugation of form
infinitive (to) form
present tense past tense
1st-person singular form formed
2nd-person singular form, formest† formed, formedst†
3rd-person singular forms, formeth† formed
plural form
subjunctive form formed
imperative form —
participles forming formed

†Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Hensleigh Wedgwood (1871) A Dictionary of English Etymology‎[1], Sense 2., page 274:
    The name of forma was also given to the seat of the choristers in a cathedral and the desk in front of them. Formula, a stool to kneel on.—Duc. There can be no doubt that this is essentially the same application with the name of the classes at our public schools, first form, sixth form, &c., but whether the class is called form from sitting on the same bench, or whether the bench is so designated from being occupied by a single class, may be a question. It seems certain that forma was used for class or order in the lower Latin. 'Supernumerarii sacri ministerii primæ vel secundæ formæ,' of the first or second order.—Cod. Theodos. de Castrensianis in Duc.
  2. ^ “sense I.6.b.” under “form”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000: “The word is usually explained as meaning originally ‘a number of scholars sitting on the same form’ (sense II.17); but there appears to be no ground for this.”
  3. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “form”, in Online Etymology Dictionary: “From 1550s as "a class or rank at school" (from sense "a fixed course of study," late 14c.)”
  4. ^ Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎[2], volumes I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 13.353, page 366.
  5. ^ James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Form, sb.”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume IV (F–G), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 458, column 3.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Chinese

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Etymology

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From English form.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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form

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) form (document to be filled) (Classifier: 份 c; 張／张 c)
  2. (Hong Kong Cantonese) a class or year of students (Classifier: 個／个 c)

Usage notes

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When specifying the year, contrary to UK usage, a cardinal number follows instead, such as form 6.

Verb

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form

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to form; to take shape
  2. (Hong Kong Cantonese, of people) to form (a group); to assemble

References

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Danish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin fōrma (“shape, form”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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form c (singular definite formen, plural indefinite former)

  1. form
  2. shape

Declension

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Declension of form
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative form formen former formerne
genitive forms formens formers formernes

Noun

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form c (singular definite formen, plural indefinite forme)

  1. mould
  2. tin (a metal pan used for baking, roasting, etc.)

Declension

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Declension of form
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative form formen forme formene
genitive forms formens formes formenes

Further reading

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German

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Verb

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form

  1. singular imperative of formen
  2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of formen

Icelandic

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Noun

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form n (genitive singular forms, nominative plural form)

  1. mould
  2. form, shape

Declension

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    Declension of form
n-s singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative form formið form formin
accusative form formið form formin
dative formi forminu formum formunum
genitive forms formsins forma formanna

Further reading

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Indonesian

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Noun

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form (first-person possessive formku, second-person possessive formmu, third-person possessive formnya)

  1. form, shape
  2. form, document

Norwegian Bokmål

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A children's toy used for learning various shapes.

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Old Norse form, from Latin fōrma (“form; figure, shape”), perhaps from Etruscan *morma, from Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ, “shape, form”), possibly of Pre-Greek origin.

Noun

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form f or m (definite singular forma or formen, indefinite plural former, definite plural formene)

  1. a form, shape (the outer configuration of a thing; figure, outline)
    • 1907, Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Samlede Digterverker III, page 50:
      himlen virker af skyers flor et slør om jordens mægtigste form
      the sky works by the bloom of clouds a veil over the mightiest form of the earth
    • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 200:
      hvilken ædel stil i værket! Og hvilken mægtighed der bor i formerne
      what a noble style in the work! And what power resides in the forms
    • 1919, Mikkjel Fønhus, Der vildmarken suser, page 87:
      mosen la sig villig for skoene hans og tok form efter dem
      the moss lay willingly for his shoes and took shape after them
    • 1959, Jens Bjørneboe, Blåmann, page 24:
      skyene på himmelen … delte seg, fløt sammen igjen og dannet nye former
      the clouds in the sky… split, floated together again and formed new shapes
    • 1917, Arne Løchen, Fantasien, page 163:
      [Platon slo seg ikke] tiltaals med de former, som naturen stiller frem for os
      [Plato did not strike himself] with the forms that nature presents to us
    • 2012, Stig Aasvik, Indre anliggender:
      munnens bevegelser, leppenes form, tennenes stilling
      the movements of the mouth, the shape of the lips, the position of the teeth
    • 1959, Jens Bjørneboe, Blåmann, page 69:
      det hendte at lengselen tok form inne i ham, i et syn som steg opp i ham
      it happened that the longing took shape inside him, in a vision that rose up in him
    • 2000, Knut Olav Åmås, Ludwig Wittgenstein:
      [Ludwig Wittgensteins] etikk tok form tidlig og endret seg ikke grunnleggende
      [Ludwig Wittgenstein's] ethics took shape early and did not change fundamentally
    • 2010, Tore Henriksen, I mors liv:
      det var som enkeltceller at livet først tok form, i havet en gang for 3,5–4 milliarder år siden
      it was as single cells that life first took shape, in the ocean once 3.5–4 billion years ago
    • 1986, Terje Stigen, Ved foten av kunnskapens tre:
      anlegget i Sørvika begynner å ta form av en ubåthavn
      the facility in Sørvika is beginning to take the form of a submarine port
    • 2012, Eystein Hanssen, Triangel:
      nedbøren [hadde] tatt form av sludd
      the precipitation [had] taken the form of sleet
    • 1999, Ketil Bjørnstad, Fall:
      langsomt fant forholdet sin form som vennskap
      slowly the relationship took shape as a friendship
    ta form ― take shape; develop
    ta form av ― take shape of; show up as (something)
    finne sin form ― find the right, best way to be or happen
    1. (in the plural) curves (the shape of a human, especially a woman's body)
      • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt, page 151:
        hun er sandelig lækker, den taske. Hun har noget extravagante former
        she is truly delicious, that hag. She has somewhat extravagant curves
      • 1951, Agnar Mykle, Morgen i appelsingult, page 34:
        badedrakten skjuler [ikke] noe som helst av hennes former
        the swimsuit [does not] hide any of her curves
      • 1999, Stig Sæterbakken, Sauermugg, page 159:
        så mye snakk det er om å «ta seg sammen» og «holde på formene» og «stramme seg opp»
        so much talk there is about "getting together" and "keeping in shape" and "tightening up"
    2. a shape, form (the way in which details, especially outer lines, are prepared, arranged, assembled into a harmonious whole)
      • 1906, Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Samlede Digterverker I, page 91:
        form betyder … maaden, hvorved det mangfoldige forbinder sig til et heelt
        form means… the way in which the manifold connects to a whole
      • 1931, Morgenbladet, page 5:
        hele dette anlegg [slottsplassen] kan bli bragt i harmoni og arkitektonisk form
        this whole facility [the castle square] can be brought into harmony and architectural form
      • 1933, Christian A. R. Christensen, Det hendte igår, page 160:
        bygger man … en moderne storby-bygning eller en bensinstasjon à la gresk tempel får man ikke den riktige organiske sammenheng mellem stoffet og formen som er kjennetegnet for den ekte kunst, den ekte stil
        if you build a modern metropolitan building or a gas station à la grecque temple, you will not get the right organic connection between the fabric and the shape that is characteristic of the real art, the real style
      • 2006, Lars Roar, Når fuglen letter, page 79:
        [Håkon Gullvåg ble] satt til å undervise ved Institutt for form og farge på NTH
        [Håkon Gullvåg was] set to teach at the Department of Design and Color at NTH
    3. form (way of expressing oneself; way of acting)
      • 1847–1868, Halfdan Kjerulf, Av hans efterladte papirer 1847–1868, page 145:
        formen skal jo hæve indholdet, men ikke oversukre det, saa man ikke seer, hvad meel der er i maden
        the form should raise the contents, but not sugary it, so you do not see what flour is in the food
      • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Kejser og Galilæer, page 75:
        [en gavnlig lære for livet] fremsættes i en sindrig og tiltrækkende form
        [a beneficial doctrine for life] is presented in an ingenious and appealing form
      • 1877, Arne Garborg, Den ny-norske Sprog- og Nationalitetsbevægelse, page 112:
        det er sædvanligt hos os … nordmænd dette at mangle sans for formens betydning og derimod holde os til stoffet
        it is customary with us Norwegians to lack a sense of the meaning of form and instead stick to the substance
      • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter I, page 396:
        hvad er skjønhed? Overensstemmelse mellem indhold og form
        what is beauty? Consistency between content and form
      • 1944, Per Imerslund, Videre i passgang, page 13:
        folkene i dette avsidesliggende strøket holder enno på de gamle formene
        the people of this remote area still hold on to the old forms
      • 1964, Lorentz Eckhoff, En verden, page 106:
        nytt syn, nytt sinn krever med nødvendighet ny form
        new vision, new mind necessarily requires new form
      • 2006, Simen Ekern, Berlusconis Italia:
        [Silvio] Berlusconis suksess [var] basert på form, ikke på innhold
        [Silvio] Berlusconi's success [was] based on form, not content
      Formen er ikke forfatterens sterkeste side.
      Form is not the author's strongest side.
      Synonym: innhold
    4. a form, design (the way in which something acts, is organized or manifests itself)
      • 1943, Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Samlede Digterverker I, page 91:
        form betyder ialmindelighed den skikkelse, hvorunder en vis kraft ytrer sig
        design generally means the figure under which a certain force manifests itself
      • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter I, page 292:
        i al fald klæder påtrængenheden sig her i en så troskyldig form at den snarere vækker morskab end forargelse
        in any case, the intrusion dresses here in such a faithful design that it arouses amusement rather than indignation
      • 1957, Edvard Grieg, Artikler og taler, page 73:
        enhver nations konst er fra folkesangen gjennem de små former i tidernes løb vandret over i de større, fyldigere, mere combinerede. Havde Kjerulf pleiet store former, som sonaten, symphonien, da havde han forsøgt en opgave, som ikke tilkom ham
        every nation's art is from the folk song through the small forms over time horizontal to the larger, fuller, more combined. Had Kjerulf nurtured great designs, such as the sonata, the symphony, then he would have tried a task that did not belong to him
      • 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, page 113:
        Griegs kvartett … var den rene vanhelligelse av den formen Haydn, Mozart og Beethoven hadde skapt noen av sine fineste verk i
        Grieg's quartet… was the pure desecration of the design Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven had created some of their finest works in
      • 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, page 123:
        Schumann … var liksom for kortpustet til å lykkes helt i «den store form»
        Schumann… was somehow too short of breath to succeed completely in "the great design"
      • 2005, Erik Lundesgaard, Skikk og bruk:
        De-formen er nesten forsvunnet, og brukes for det meste i skriftlig form
        The de-form has almost disappeared, and is mostly used in written form
      • 2009, Karl Ove Knausgård, Min kamp 1, page 262:
        det var ikke slik at jeg nøt smaken av kaffe eller følelsen av røyk …, poenget var å ha det gjort, det var en rutine, og som med alle rutiner, lå det hele i formen
        it was not like I enjoyed the taste of coffee or the feeling of smoke…, the point was to have it done, it was a routine, and as with all routines, it was all in form
      • 2010, Eivind Buene, Enmannsorkester:
        utilslørte trusler i brevs form
        undisguised threats in the form of letters
      • 1907, Jens Thiis, Norske malere og billedhuggere II, page 372:
        medgangen [kom] i form af et par stipendier
        the success [came] in the form of a few scholarships
      • 1992, Øivind Hånes, Venterommet der sporene viskes ut:
        faren er over sønnen med en kort formaning i form av et intenst og utvetydig blikk
        the father is over the son with a brief admonition in the form of an intense and unambiguous look
      • 2018, Simon Stranger, Leksikon om lys og mørke, page 123:
        [lykken] kommer i form av en kvinne som plutselig står foran ham
        [happiness] comes in the form of a woman who suddenly stands before him
      • 2020, Trond Vernegg, En halvfull forsamling, page 100:
        betaling i form av et par flasker vin
        payment in the form of a few bottles of wine
      i form av ― in the form of; in the shape of
    5. (physics, sciences) a state (the physical property of matter as solid, liquid, gas or plasma)
      Synonym: aggregattilstand
    6. (biology) a level below a species in the classification of organisms, where there is a less systematic variation between individuals of the same species
  2. a type, kind, form (a category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together)
    • 2005, Linn Ullmann, Et velsignet barn:
      en eller annen form for antibiotika
      some kind of antibiotic
    • 2008, Karsten Alnæs, Bakenfor alle farger:
      det var ulike former for sting, ulike teknikker som krevde perfeksjon og håndlag
      there were different types of stitches, different techniques that required perfection and craftsmanship
    • 2010, Arne Danielsen, Mesteren:
      korrespondansesjakk var tidligere en form for sjakk der spillerne sendte postkort fram og tilbake til hverandre, der et enkelt parti kunne vare i flere år
      correspondence chess was formerly a form of chess where players sent postcards back and forth to each other, where a single game could last for several years
    • 2011, Sofie Hexeberg, Gunn-Karin Sakariassen, Frisk med lavkarbo:
      enhver form for mosjon [vil] være gunstig hvis du sliter med høyt blodsukker
      Any form of exercise [will] be beneficial if you are struggling with high blood sugar
  3. (philosophy) a form (an eternal type of thing or idea, especially in Plato's philosophy)
    • 1917, Arne Løchen, Fantasien, page 163:
      den formløse materie fortæller os ikke noget; formen alene gir den liv … [Platon] saa stoffet bli levende ved formens magt
      the formless matter tells us nothing; form alone gives it life… [Plato] so that matter becomes alive by the power of form
  4. (philosophy, natural science) the formal cause (the design, pattern, or pure concept of a thing, which gives form or structure to its matter, in Aristotelianism)
    • 1991, Jostein Gaarder, Sofies verden:
      [mens] det er hønas «form» å kakle, å flakse med vingene samt å legge egg, er det steinens form å falle til jorden
      [while] it is the hen's "form" to cackle, to flap its wings and to lay eggs, it is the stone's form to fall to the ground
    • 1994, Trond Berg Eriksen, Undringens labyrinter, page 17:
      Aristoteles skilte mellom fire forskjellige årsaker: form, stoff, bevegelse og hensikt
      Aristotle distinguished between four different causes: form, matter, movement, and purpose
  5. (philosophy) form (summary of the manifold, the material of experience, into unity in consciousness - especially in Kant's philosophy)
    • 1924, Arnulf Øverland, Brød og vin, page 15:
      jeg er bundet til min tankes former
      I am bound to the forms of my mind
  6. a norm (a rule that is imposed by regulations and/or socially enforced by members of a community)
    • 1883, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, En Hanske, page 71:
      så er det bare en form, da!
      so it's just a norm, then!
    • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 158:
      [i helgen skal] jeg ordne alt, hvad formen gjælder, og sætte sagen glat ivej
      [this weekend I have to] fix everything that applies to the norm and put the matter off smoothly
    • 1929, Arbeiderbladet, page 4:
      de spekulerer i legale former
      they speculate in legal forms
    • 1938, Alf B. Bryn, Peter van Heeren mottar opdrag av enhver art, page 129:
      det er mere en form og dessuten en form som folk har tillit til
      it is more a form and moreover a form that people trust
    1. (in the plural) etiquette (the customary behavior of members of a profession, business, law, or sports team towards each other)
    • 1830, Conrad N. Schwach, Erindringer af mit Liv indtil Ankomsten til Throndhjem, page 232:
      han var … et temmelig indskrænket hoved, og som alle saadanne stiv i vedtagne former
      he was… a rather constricted head, and like all such stiff in adopted forms
    • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Kærlighedens komedie, page 56:
      De vil ej tåle formens snørliv lagt om Deres hjerte, frit må det pulsere
      You will not tolerate the etiquette life laid around your heart, it must pulsate freely
    • 1883, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, En Hanske, page 7:
      Svava overser aldrig formerne som din mor
      Svava never overlooks etiquette like your mother
    • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter I, page 81:
      som en ærbar og sædelig mø holder jeg strængt på form og dekorum
      as an honorable and moral maiden, I strictly adhere to form and decorum
    • 1964, Jens Bjørneboe, Drømmen og hjulet, page 29:
      vi lever i en brytningstid, hvor gamle former må falle
      we live in a time of upheaval where old forms must fall
    • 2001, Knut Faldbakken, Uår:
      en rekke tabuer og konvensjoner var i ferd med å bli innholdsløse, stivnet form løste seg opp
      a number of taboos and conventions were becoming meaningless, solidified form dissolved
    Synonym: etikette
  7. (linguistics, grammar) a form (a grouping of words which maintain grammatical context in different usages; the particular shape or structure of a word or part of speech)
    • 1917, Ivar Aasen, Reise-Erindringer og Reise-Indberetninger 1842−1847, page 133:
      opmærksomheden henvendes mest paa de distrikter, som enten ved sin beliggenhed eller paa grund af nærmere efterretning kunne formodes at have beholdt mest af de gamle nationale ord og former
      attention is drawn mostly to those districts which, either by their location or by closer examination, could be presumed to have retained most of the old national words and forms;
  8. a form, mold (a hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance)
    • 2000, Vigdis Hjorth, Hva er det med mor, page 106:
      hun skulle skrape [kaken] ut av formen med en brødkniv
      she was going to scrape [the cake] out of the mold with a bread knife
    • 2010, Margit Vea, Kjøkkenpatruljen:
      hvelv deigen rett fra bollen og over i smurte former
      vault the dough straight from the bowl and into greased forms
    1. (typography) a printing form (an object, usually in the shape of a block or a plate, used in printing to apply ink on the printed surface)
      Synonym: trykkform
    2. (technology) an extruder (a machine that extrudes material through shaped dies)
      Blåsebelg med form.
      A bellow with extruder.
      Synonym: ekstruder
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From English form, from Middle English forme (“shape, figure, manner, bench, frame, seat, condition, agreement”), from Old French forme, from Latin fōrma (“form; figure, shape”), perhaps from Etruscan *morma, from Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ, “shape, form”), possibly of Pre-Greek origin.

Noun

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form f or m (definite singular forma or formen, indefinite plural former, definite plural formene)

  1. (physical) shape, form (a human or animal's physical condition, especially in terms of endurance and athletic performance)
    Synonyms: kondisjon, frisk, sunn
    Jeg er ikke helt i form i dag.
    I don't feel so well today.
    i form ― in shape; in form
    • 1941, Einar Rose, Rose-boka, page 60:
      det gjaldt å finne tilbake til «formen»
      it was a matter of finding back the "form"
    • 2016 February 15, Arbeidets Rett, page 14:
      jeg har slitt litt med formen i ukene før VM, men nå klarte jeg å ta ut alt
      I have struggled a bit with the form in the weeks before the World Cup, but now I managed to take it all out
    • 1911, Amalie Pettersen, Pettersens, page 27:
      [han] paastaar, han er «i god form»
      [he] claims he is «in good shape»
    • 1933, Christian A. R. Christensen, Det hendte igår, page 6:
      et glass gulrotsaft eller annen råkost [er] efter manges mening … en ufravikelig bestanddel av kosten hvis man skal holde sig «i form» – et uttrykk som for øvrig [i 1933] neppe ennu er sivet inn i familiens dagligtale fra sports-jargonen
      a glass of carrot juice or other raw food [is] in the opinion of many… an inalienable component of the diet if one is to stay «in shape» - an expression which by the way [in 1933] has hardly yet seeped into the family's everyday speech from sports jargon
    • 1933, Christian A. R. Christensen, Det hendte igår, page 134:
      [ungdommen] har sans for å holde [kroppen] i form
      [the youth] has a sense of keeping [the body] in shape
    • 2003, Sverre Knudsen, De aller nærmeste:
      hun var ikke i form til å snakke
      she was not in shape to speak
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Etymology 3

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Verb

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form

  1. imperative of forme

References

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Anagrams

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin fōrma.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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form f (definite singular forma, indefinite plural former, definite plural formene)

  1. form
  2. shape
  3. a mould (e.g., for cast products)

Derived terms

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References

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Swedish

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240 knäckformar

Etymology

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From Old Swedish forma, borrowed from Latin fōrma.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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form c

  1. a form, a shape
  2. a form, a mold, a dish, a tray, a tin, a piece of ovenware

Declension

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Declension of form
nominative genitive
singular indefinite form forms
definite formen formens
plural indefinite former formers
definite formerna formernas
Declension of form (mold, ovenware)
nominative genitive
singular indefinite form forms
definite formen formens
plural indefinite formar formars
definite formarna formarnas
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shape
mold

Anagrams

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Turkish

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Etymology

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From French forme.

Noun

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form (definite accusative formu, plural formlar)

  1. form

Declension

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Inflection
Nominative form
Definite accusative formu
Singular Plural
Nominative form formlar
Definite accusative formu formları
Dative forma formlara
Locative formda formlarda
Ablative formdan formlardan
Genitive formun formların
Possessive forms
Nominative
Singular Plural
1st singular formum formlarım
2nd singular formun formların
3rd singular formu formları
1st plural formumuz formlarımız
2nd plural formunuz formlarınız
3rd plural formları formları
Definite accusative
Singular Plural
1st singular formumu formlarımı
2nd singular formunu formlarını
3rd singular formunu formlarını
1st plural formumuzu formlarımızı
2nd plural formunuzu formlarınızı
3rd plural formlarını formlarını
Dative
Singular Plural
1st singular formuma formlarıma
2nd singular formuna formlarına
3rd singular formuna formlarına
1st plural formumuza formlarımıza
2nd plural formunuza formlarınıza
3rd plural formlarına formlarına
Locative
Singular Plural
1st singular formumda formlarımda
2nd singular formunda formlarında
3rd singular formunda formlarında
1st plural formumuzda formlarımızda
2nd plural formunuzda formlarınızda
3rd plural formlarında formlarında
Ablative
Singular Plural
1st singular formumdan formlarımdan
2nd singular formundan formlarından
3rd singular formundan formlarından
1st plural formumuzdan formlarımızdan
2nd plural formunuzdan formlarınızdan
3rd plural formlarından formlarından
Genitive
Singular Plural
1st singular formumun formlarımın
2nd singular formunun formlarının
3rd singular formunun formlarının
1st plural formumuzun formlarımızın
2nd plural formunuzun formlarınızın
3rd plural formlarının formlarının
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