Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Form

Form

(fōrm; in senses 8 & 9, often fōrm in England)
,
Noun.
[OE. & F.
forme
, fr. L.
forma
; cf. Skr.
dhariman
. Cf.
Firm
.]
1.
The shape and structure of anything, as distinguished from the material of which it is composed; particular disposition or arrangement of matter, giving it individuality or distinctive character; configuration; figure; external appearance.
The
form
of his visage was changed.
Dan. iii. 19.
And woven close close, both matter,
form
, and style.
Milton.
2.
Constitution; mode of construction, organization, etc.; system;
as, a republican
form
of government
.
3.
Established method of expression or practice; fixed way of proceeding; conventional or stated scheme; formula;
as, a
form
of prayer
.
Those whom
form
of laws
Condemned to die.
Dryden.
4.
Show without substance; empty, outside appearance; vain, trivial, or conventional ceremony; conventionality; formality;
as, a matter of mere
form
.
Though well we may not pass upon his life
Without the
form
of justice.
Shakespeare
5.
Orderly arrangement; shapeliness; also, comeliness; elegance; beauty.
The earth was without
form
and void.
Gen. i. 2.
He hath no
form
nor comeliness.
Is. liii. 2.
6.
A shape; an image; a phantom.
7.
That by which shape is given or determined; mold; pattern; model.
8.
A long seat; a bench; hence, a rank of students in a school; a class; also, a class or rank in society.
“Ladies of a high form.”
Bp. Burnet.
9.
The seat or bed of a hare.
As in a
form
sitteth a weary hare.
Chaucer.
10.
(Print.)
The type or other matter from which an impression is to be taken, arranged and secured in a chase.
11.
(Fine Arts)
The boundary line of a material object. In
(painting)
, more generally, the human body.
12.
(Gram.)
The particular shape or structure of a word or part of speech;
as, participial
forms
; verbal
forms
.
13.
(Crystallog.)
The combination of planes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid.
14.
(Metaph.)
That assemblage or disposition of qualities which makes a conception, or that internal constitution which makes an existing thing to be what it is; – called essential or substantial form, and contradistinguished from matter; hence, active or formative nature; law of being or activity; subjectively viewed, an idea; objectively, a law.
15.
Mode of acting or manifestation to the senses, or the intellect;
as, water assumes the
form
of ice or snow
. In modern usage, the elements of a conception furnished by the mind’s own activity, as contrasted with its object or condition, which is called the matter; subjectively, a mode of apprehension or belief conceived as dependent on the constitution of the mind; objectively, universal and necessary accompaniments or elements of every object known or thought of.
16.
(Biol.)
The peculiar characteristics of an organism as a type of others; also, the structure of the parts of an animal or plant.
Good form
or
Bad form
,
the general appearance, condition or action, originally of horses, afterwards of persons; as, the members of a boat crew are said to be in
good form
when they pull together uniformly. The phrases are further used colloquially in description of conduct or manners in society; as, it is not
good form
to smoke in the presence of a lady.

Form

(fôrm)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Formed
(fôrmd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Forming
.]
[F.
former
, L.
formare
, fr.
forma
. See
Form
,
Noun.
]
1.
To give form or shape to; to frame; to construct; to make; to fashion.
God
formed
man of the dust of the ground.
Gen. ii. 7.
The thought that labors in my
forming
brain.
Rowe.
2.
To give a particular shape to; to shape, mold, or fashion into a certain state or condition; to arrange; to adjust; also, to model by instruction and discipline; to mold by influence, etc.; to train.
'T is education
forms
the common mind.
Pope.
Thus
formed
for speed, he challenges the wind.
Dryden.
3.
To go to make up; to act as constituent of; to be the essential or constitutive elements of; to answer for; to make the shape of; – said of that out of which anything is formed or constituted, in whole or in part.
The diplomatic politicians . . . who
formed
by far the majority.
Burke.
4.
To provide with a form, as a hare. See
Form
,
Noun.
, 9.
The melancholy hare is
formed
in brakes and briers.
Drayton.
5.
(Gram.)
To derive by grammatical rules, as by adding the proper suffixes and affixes.

Form

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To take a form, definite shape, or arrangement;
as, the infantry should
form
in column
.
2.
To run to a form, as a hare.
B. Jonson.
To form on
(Mil.)
,
to form a lengthened line with reference to (any given object) as a basis.

Webster 1828 Edition

Form

FORM

,
Noun.
[L. forma.]
1.
The shape or external appearance of a body; the figure, as defined by lines and angles; that manner of being peculiar to each body, which exhibits it to the eye as distinct from every other body. Thus we speak of the form of a circle, the form of a square or triangle, a circular form, the form of the head or of the human body, a handsome form, an ugly form, a frightful form.
Matter is the basis or substratum of bodies, form is the particular disposition of matter in each body which distinguishes its appearance from that of every other body.
The form of his visage was changed. Dan. 3.
After that he appeared in another form to two of them, as they walked. Mark 16.
2.
Manner of arranging particulars; disposition of particular things; as a form of words or expressions.
3.
Model; draught; pattern.
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me. 2Tim. 1.
4.
Beauty; elegance; splendor; dignity.
He hath no form nor comeliness. Isa. 53.
5.
Regularity; method; order. This is a rough draught to be reduced to form.
6.
External appearance without the essential qualities; empty show.
7.
Stated method; established practice; ritual or prescribed mode; as the forms of public worship; the forms of judicial proceeding; forms of civility.
8.
Ceremony; as, it is a mere matter of form.
9.
Determinate shape.
The earth was without form, and void. Gen. 1.

Definition 2024

Form

Form

See also: form, -form, and form.

German

Noun

Form f ‎(genitive Form, plural Formen)

  1. shape
  2. form (order of doing things)

Declension

Derived terms

Plautdietsch

Noun

Form m ‎(plural Forms)

  1. form, mold

form

form

See also: Form, -form, and form.

English

Alternative forms

  • forme (rare or archaic)

Noun

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
        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. Characteristics not involving atomic components. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
    4. (dated) A long bench with no back.
      • 1981, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York 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.
    5. (fine arts) The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body.
    6. (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.
      • John Dryden (1631-1700)
        Those whom form of laws / Condemned to die.
    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
      • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
        Though well we may not pass upon his life / Without the form of justice.
    5. (archaic) A class or rank in society.
    6. (Britain) A criminal record; loosely, past history (in a given area).
      • 2011, Jane Martinson, The Guardian, 4 May:
        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.
    7. (education) Level.
      1. (Britain, education) A class or year of students (often preceded by an ordinal number to specify the year, as in sixth form).
        • 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.
      2. (Britain) Grade (level of pre-collegiate education).
  3. A blank document or template to be filled in by the user.
    To apply for the position, complete the application form.‎
  4. (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
  5. The den or home of a hare.
  6. (computing, programming) A window or dialogue box.
    • 1998, Gary Cornell, Visual Basic 6 from the ground up (p.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.
    • Neil Smyth, C# Essentials
      Throughout this chapter we will work with a form in a new project.
  7. (taxonomy) An infraspecific rank.
  8. (printing, dated) The type or other matter from which an impression is to be taken, arranged and secured in a chase.
  9. (geometry) A quantic.
  10. (sports, fitness) A specific way of performing a movement.

Synonyms

  • (shape):
    • figure, used when discussing people, not animals
    • shape, used on animals and on persons
  • (blank document): formular
  • (pre-collegiate level): grade
  • (biology): f.

Related terms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To give shape or visible structure to (a thing or person).
    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, page 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. (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.
  3. (transitive, linguistics) To create (a word) by inflection or derivation.
    By adding "-ness", you can form a noun from an adjective.‎
  4. (transitive) To constitute, to compose, to make up.
    Teenagers form the bulk of extreme traffic offenders.‎
    • Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
      the diplomatic politicians […] who formed by far the majority
    • 1879, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher, chapter1:
      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.
  5. To mould or model by instruction or discipline.
    Singing in a choir helps to form a child's sociality.‎
    • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
      'Tis education forms the common mind.
    • John Dryden (1631-1700)
      Thus formed for speed, he challenges the wind.
  6. To provide (a hare) with a form.
    • Michael Drayton (1563-1631)
      The melancholy hare is formed in brakes and briers.
  7. (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.
  8. (generally of a music group or band) To put together or bring into being; assemble.

Related terms

Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: door · round · kind · #278: form · hundred · believe · white

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From Latin fōrma ‎(“shape, form”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɔrm/, [fɒːˀm]

Noun

form c (singular definite formen, plural indefinite former)

  1. form
  2. shape

Inflection

Noun

form c (singular definite formen, plural indefinite forme)

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

Inflection

German

Verb

form

  1. Imperative singular of formen.
  2. (colloquial) First-person singular present of formen.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Latin forma.

Noun

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

  1. form
  2. shape
Related terms
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

form

  1. imperative of forme

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin forma.

Noun

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

  1. form
  2. shape

Derived terms

References

Swedish

240 knäckformar

Etymology

From Old Swedish forma, from Latin forma.

Pronunciation

Noun

form c

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

Declension

Inflection of form 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative form formen former formerna
Genitive forms formens formers formernas
Inflection of form 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative form formen formar formarna
Genitive forms formens formars formarnas

Related terms

shape
  • cirkelform
  • ellipsform
  • forma
mold
  • formfranska
  • formgjuta
  • gjutform
  • kakform
  • knäckform
  • pajform

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [fɔʁm]

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