Added 1 October 2026
form
/fɔːm/ noun
In Latin: fōrma, figūra Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about form at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- To do with shape. The shape or visible structure of a thing or person. A thing that gives shape to other things as in a mold. Regularity, beauty, or elegance. 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. Characteristics not involving atomic components. (Can we add an example for this sense?) A long bench with no back. The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body. The combination of planes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid.
- The shape or visible structure of a thing or person.
- A thing that gives shape to other things as in a mold.
verb
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To assume (a certain shape or visible structure).
When you kids form a straight line I'll hand out the lollies.
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To give (a shape or visible structure) to a thing or person.
Roll out the dough to form a thin sheet.
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To take shape.
When icicles start to form on the eaves you know the roads will be icy.
Origin
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, though this is disputed, or alternatively from the sense of "established method of expression or practice".
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)