Forlornness For·lorn"ness noun State of being forlorn. Boyle.

Forlye For·lye" intransitive verb Same as Forlie . [ Obsolete]

Form Form (fōrm; in senses 8 & 9, often fōrm in England ) noun [ Middle English & French forme , from Latin forma ; confer Sanskrit dhariman . Confer 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.

Shak.

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, atterwards 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 Form (fôrm) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Formed (fôrmd); present participle & verbal noun Forming .] [ French former , Latin formare , from 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 Form intransitive verb 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.

Form Form transitive verb (Electricity) To treat (plates) so as to bring them to fit condition 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 now the plates or grids are 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.

Formal For"mal (fôr"m a l) noun [ Latin form ic + al cohol.] (Chemistry) See Methylal .

Formal Form"al (fôrm" a l) adjective [ Latin formalis : confer French formel .] 1. Belonging to the form, shape, frame, external appearance, or organization of a thing.

2. Belonging to the constitution of a thing, as distinguished from the matter composing it; having the power of making a thing what it is; constituent; essential; pertaining to or depending on the forms, so called, of the human intellect.

Of [ the sounds represented by] letters, the material part is breath and voice; the formal is constituted by the motion and figure of the organs of speech.

Holder.

3. Done in due form, or with solemnity; according to regular method; not incidental, sudden or irregular; express; as, he gave his formal consent.

His obscure funeral . . .
No noble rite nor formal ostentation.

Shak.

4. Devoted to, or done in accordance with, forms or rules; punctilious; regular; orderly; methodical; of a prescribed form; exact; prim; stiff; ceremonious; as, a man formal in his dress, his gait, his conversation.

A cold-looking, formal garden, cut into angles and rhomboids.

W. Irwing.

She took off the formal cap that confined her hair.

Hawthorne.

5. Having the form or appearance without the substance or essence; external; as, formal duty; formal worship; formal courtesy, etc.

6. Dependent in form; conventional.

Still in constraint your suffering sex remains,
Or bound in formal or in real chains.

Pope.

7. Sound; normal. [ Obsolete]

To make of him a formal man again.

Shak.

Formal cause . See under Cause .

Syn. -- Precise; punctilious; stiff; starched; affected; ritual; ceremonial; external; outward. -- Formal , Ceremonious . When applied to things, these words usually denote a mere accordance with the rules of form or ceremony; as, to make a formal call; to take a ceremonious leave. When applied to a person or his manners, they are used in a bad sense; a person being called formal who shapes himself too much by some pattern or set form, and ceremonious when he lays too much stress on the conventional laws of social intercourse. Formal manners render a man stiff or ridiculous; a ceremonious carriage puts a stop to the ease and freedom of social intercourse.

Formaldehyde For·mal"de·hyde noun [ Form ic + aldehyde .] (Chemistry) A colorless, volatile liquid, H ₂ CO, resembling acetic or ethyl aldehyde, and chemically intermediate between methyl alcohol and formic acid.

Formalin For"ma·lin noun [ Form ic + al dehyde + -in .] (Chemistry) An aqueous solution of formaldehyde, used as a preservative in museums and as a disinfectant.

Formalism Form"al·ism (fôrm" a l*ĭz'm) noun The practice or the doctrine of strict adherence to, or dependence on, external forms, esp. in matters of religion.

Official formalism .

Sir H. Rawlinson.

Formalist Form"al·ist noun [ Confer French formaliste .] One overattentive to forms, or too much confined to them; esp., one who rests in external religious forms, or observes strictly the outward forms of worship, without possessing the life and spirit of religion.

As far a formalist from wisdom sits,
In judging eyes, as libertines from wits.

Young.

Formality For·mal"i·ty noun ; plural Formalities . [ Confer French formalité .] 1. The condition or quality of being formal, strictly ceremonious, precise, etc.

2. Form without substance.

Such [ books] as are mere pieces of formality , so that if you look on them, you look though them.

Fuller.

3. Compliance with formal or conventional rules; ceremony; conventionality.

Nor was his attendance on divine offices a matter of formality and custom, but of conscience.

Atterbury.

4. An established order; conventional rule of procedure; usual method; habitual mode.

He was installed with all the usual formalities .

C. Middleton.

5. plural The dress prescribed for any body of men, academical, municipal, or sacerdotal. [ Obsolete]

The doctors attending her in their formalities as far as Shotover.

Fuller.

6. That which is formal; the formal part.

It unties the inward knot of marriage, . . . while it aims to keep fast the outward formality .

Milton.

7. The quality which makes a thing what it is; essence.

The material part of the evil came from our father upon us, but the formality of it, the sting and the curse, is only by ourselves.

Jer. Taylor.

The formality of the vow lies in the promise made to God.

Bp. Stillingfleet.

8. (Scholastic. Philos.) The manner in which a thing is conceived or constituted by an act of human thinking; the result of such an act; as, animality and rationality are formalities .

Formalize Form"al·ize (fôrm" a l*īz) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Formalized ; present participle & verbal noun Formalizing .] 1. To give form, or a certain form, to; to model. [ R.]

2. To render formal.

Formalize Form"al·ize intransitive verb To affect formality. [ Obsolete] ales.

Formally Form"al·ly adverb In a formal manner; essentially; characteristically; expressly; regularly; ceremoniously; precisely.

That which formally makes this [ charity] a Christian grace, is the spring from which it flows.

Smalridge.

You and your followers do stand formally divided against the authorized guides of the church and rest of the people.

Hooker.

Format For`mat" (for`mȧ" or for`mät") noun [ French or G. Confer Formation .] (Print.) The shape and size of a book; hence, its external form.

The older manuscripts had been written in a much larger format than that found convenient for university work.

G. H. Putnam.

One might, indeed, protest that the format is a little too luxurious.

Nature.

Formate For"mate noun [ See Formic .] (Chemistry) A salt of formic acid. [ Written also formiate .]

Formation For·ma"tion (fŏr*mā"shŭn) noun [ Latin formatio : confer French formation .] 1. The act of giving form or shape to anything; a forming; a shaping. Beattie.

2. The manner in which a thing is formed; structure; construction; conformation; form; as, the peculiar formation of the heart.

3. A substance formed or deposited.

4. (Geol.) (a) Mineral deposits and rock masses designated with reference to their origin; as, the siliceous formation about geysers; alluvial formations ; marine formations . (b) A group of beds of the same age or period; as, the Eocene formation .

5. (Mil.) The arrangement of a body of troops, as in a square, column, etc. Farrow.

Formative Form"a·tive adjective [ Confer French formatif .] 1. Giving form; having the power of giving form; plastic; as, the formative arts.

The meanest plant can not be raised without seed, by any formative residing in the soil.

Bentley.

2. (Gram.) Serving to form; derivative; not radical; as, a termination merely formative .

3. (Biol.) Capable of growth and development; germinal; as, living or formative matter.

Formative Form"a·tive noun (Gram.) (a) That which serves merely to give form, and is no part of the radical, as the prefix or the termination of a word. (b) A word formed in accordance with some rule or usage, as from a root.

Formé For`mé" adjective (Her.) Same as Paté or Patté .

Forme For"me adjective [ Middle English , from Anglo-Saxon forma . See Foremost .] First. [ Obsolete] "Adam our forme father." Chaucer.

Formed Formed adjective 1. (Astron.) Arranged, as stars in a constellation; as, formed stars. [ R.]

2. (Biol.) Having structure; capable of growth and development; organized; as, the formed or organized ferments. See Ferment , noun

Formed material (Biol.) , a term employed by Beale to denote the lifeless matter of a cell, that which is physiologically dead, in distinction from the truly germinal or living matter.

Formedon For"me·don noun [ Old French , from Latin. So called because the plaintiff claimed "by the form of the gift,: Latin per formam doni .] (O. Eng. Law) A writ of right for a tenant in tail in case of a discontinuance of the estate tail. This writ has been abolished.

Formell For"mell noun [ Dim. of French forme the female of a bird of prey.] (Zoology) The female of a hawk or falcon.

Former Form"er noun 1. One who forms; a maker; a creator.

2. (Mech.) (a) A shape around which an article is to be shaped, molded, woven wrapped, pasted, or otherwise constructed. (b) A templet, pattern, or gauge by which an article is shaped. (c) A cutting die.

Former For"mer adjective [ A compar. due to Middle English formest . See Foremost .] 1. Preceding in order of time; antecedent; previous; prior; earlier; hence, ancient; long past.

For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age.

Job. viii. 8.

The latter and former rain.

Hosea vi. 3.

3. Near the beginning; preceeding; as, the former part of a discourse or argument.

3. Earlier, as between two things mentioned together; first mentioned.

A bad author deserves better usage than a bad critic; a man may be the former merely through the misfortune of an ill judgment; but he can not be latter without both that and an ill temper.

Pope.

Syn. -- Prior; previous; anterior; antecedent; preceding; foregoing.

Formeret For`me·ret" noun [ French] (Architecture) One of the half ribs against the walls in a ceiling vaulted with ribs.

Formerly For"mer·ly adverb In time past, either in time immediately preceding or at any indefinite distance; of old; heretofore.

Formful Form"ful adjective Creative; imaginative. [ R.] "The formful brain." Thomson.

Formic For"mic adjective [ Latin formica an ant: confer French formique .] (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or derived from, ants; as, formic acid; in an extended sense, pertaining to, or derived from, formic acid; as, formic ether.

Amido formic acid , carbamic acid. -- Formic acid , a colorless, mobile liquid, HCO.OH, of a sharp, acid taste, occurring naturally in ants, nettles, pine needles, etc., and produced artifically in many ways, as by the oxidation of methyl alcohol, by the reduction of carbonic acid or the destructive distillation of oxalic acid. It is the first member of the fatty acids in the paraffin series, and is homologous with acetic acid.

Formica For·mi"ca noun [ Latin , an ant.] (Zoology) A Linnæan genus of hymenopterous insects, including the common ants. See Ant .

Formicaroid For`mi·ca"roid adjective [ New Latin Formicarius , the typical genus + -oid .] (Zoology) Like or pertaining to the family Formicaridæ or ant thrushes.

Formicary For"mi·ca·ry noun [ Late Latin formicarium , from Latin formica an ant.] (Zoology) The nest or dwelling of a swarm of ants; an ant-hill.

Formicate For"mi·cate adjective [ Latin formica an ant.] (Zoology) Resembling, or pertaining to, an ant or ants.

Formicate For"mi·cate (fôr"mĭ*kāt) intransitive verb [ See Formication .] To creep or crawl like ants; swarm with, or as with, ants.

An open space which formicated with peasantry.

Lowell.

Formication For`mi·ca"tion noun [ Latin formicatio , from formicare to creep like an ant, to feel as if ants were crawling on one's self, from formica ant: confer French formication .] (Medicine) A sensation resembling that made by the creeping of ants on the skin. Dunglison.

Formicid For"mi·cid adjective (Zoology) Pertaining to the ants. -- noun One of the family Formicidæ , or ants.

Formidability For`mi·da·bil"i·ty noun Formidableness. Walpole.

Formidable For"mi·da·ble adjective [ Latin formidabilis , from formidare to fear, dread: confer French formidable .] Exciting fear or apprehension; impressing dread; adapted to excite fear and deter from approach, encounter, or undertaking; alarming.

They seemed to fear the formodable sight.

Dryden.

I swell my preface into a volume, and make it formidable , when you see so many pages behind.

Drydn.

Syn. -- Dreadful; fearful; terrible; frightful; shocking; horrible; terrific; tremendous.

Formidableness For"mi·da·ble·ness noun The quality of being formidable, or adapted to excite dread. Boyle.

Formidably For"mi·da·bly adverb In a formidable manner.

Formidolose For·mid"o·lose adjective [ Latin formidolosus , from formido fear.] Very much afraid. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Forming Form"ing noun The act or process of giving form or shape to anything; as, in shipbuilding, the exact shaping of partially shaped timbers.

Formless Form"less adjective Shapeless; without a determinate form; wanting regularity of shape. -- Form"less*ly , adverb -- Form"less*ness , noun

Formula For"mu·la noun ; plural English Formulas , Latin Formulæ . [ Latin , dim. of forma form, model. See Form , noun ] 1. A prescribed or set form; an established rule; a fixed or conventional method in which anything is to be done, arranged, or said.

2. (Eccl.) A written confession of faith; a formal statement of foctrines.

3. (Math.) A rule or principle expressed in algebraic language; as, the binominal formula .

4. (Medicine) A prescription or recipe for the preparation of a medicinal compound.

5. (Chemistry) A symbolic expression (by means of letters, figures, etc.) of the constituents or constitution of a compound.

» Chemical formulæ consist of the abbreviations of the names of the elements, with a small figure at the lower right hand, to denote the number of atoms of each element contained.

Empirical formula (Chemistry) , an expression which gives the simple proportion of the constituents; as, the empirical formula of acetic acid is C ₂ H ₄ O ₂ . -- Graphic formula , Rational formula (Chemistry) , an expression of the constitution, and in a limited sense of the structure, of a compound, by the grouping of its atoms or radicals; as, a rational formula of acetic acid is CH ₃ .(C:O).OH; -- called also structural formula , constitutional formula , etc. See also the formula of Benzene nucleus , under Benzene . -- Molecular formula (Chemistry) , a formula indicating the supposed molecular constitution of a compound.

Formularistic For`mu·la·ris"tic adjective Pertaining to, or exhibiting, formularization. Emerson.

Formularization For`mu·lar·i·za"tion noun The act of formularizing; a formularized or formulated statement or exhibition. C. Kingsley.

Formularize For"mu·lar·ize transitive verb To reduce to a forula; to formulate.

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