former
English edit
Pronunciation edit
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɔɹmɚ/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɔːmə/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)mə(ɹ)
Etymology 1 edit
Inherited from Middle English former, comparative of forme (“first”), from Old English forma (“first”), descended from Proto-Germanic *frumô. Parallel to prior (via Latin), as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root. Related to first and fore (thence before), from Proto-Germanic.
Adjective edit
former (comparative form only)
- Previous.
- Synonyms: erstwhile, sometime, whilom, wont-to-be; see also Thesaurus:former
- Antonyms: next; see also Thesaurus:subsequent
- A former president
- the former East Germany
- 1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
- At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors. […] In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.
- 2007, Junius P. Rodriguez, Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World:
- The former-slaves-turned-abolitionists Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano were the chief organizers of the Sons of Africa.
- First of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.
- Antonym: latter
- The former is a good idea but the latter is not.
- We have two cars, a red one and a blue one. We won the former on a game show.
- Bananas are tastier than parsnips, but the latter’s nutritional value is higher than the former’s.
Alternative forms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
previous
|
first of aforementioned two items
|
See also edit
Etymology 2 edit
Inherited from Middle English formere. By surface analysis, form + -er.
Noun edit
former (plural formers)
- Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.
- Dave was the former of the company.
- An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die.
- The brick arch was built using a wooden former.
- (chiefly British, used in combinations) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).
- Fifth-former.
- Sixth-former.
Derived terms edit
Anagrams edit
Danish edit
Etymology 1 edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
former c
- indefinite plural of form
Etymology 2 edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
former
Etymology 3 edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
former or formér
French edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Old French, borrowed from Latin fōrmāre (“to form”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
former
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of former (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | former | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | formant /fɔʁ.mɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | formé /fɔʁ.me/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | forme /fɔʁm/ |
formes /fɔʁm/ |
forme /fɔʁm/ |
formons /fɔʁ.mɔ̃/ |
formez /fɔʁ.me/ |
forment /fɔʁm/ |
| imperfect | formais /fɔʁ.mɛ/ |
formais /fɔʁ.mɛ/ |
formait /fɔʁ.mɛ/ |
formions /fɔʁ.mjɔ̃/ |
formiez /fɔʁ.mje/ |
formaient /fɔʁ.mɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | formai /fɔʁ.me/ |
formas /fɔʁ.ma/ |
forma /fɔʁ.ma/ |
formâmes /fɔʁ.mam/ |
formâtes /fɔʁ.mat/ |
formèrent /fɔʁ.mɛʁ/ | |
| future | formerai /fɔʁ.mə.ʁe/ |
formeras /fɔʁ.mə.ʁa/ |
formera /fɔʁ.mə.ʁa/ |
formerons /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɔ̃/ |
formerez /fɔʁ.mə.ʁe/ |
formeront /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | formerais /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/ |
formerais /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/ |
formerait /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/ |
formerions /fɔʁ.mə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
formeriez /fɔʁ.mə.ʁje/ |
formeraient /fɔʁ.mə.ʁɛ/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior2 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | forme /fɔʁm/ |
formes /fɔʁm/ |
forme /fɔʁm/ |
formions /fɔʁ.mjɔ̃/ |
formiez /fɔʁ.mje/ |
forment /fɔʁm/ |
| imperfect2 | formasse /fɔʁ.mas/ |
formasses /fɔʁ.mas/ |
formât /fɔʁ.ma/ |
formassions /fɔʁ.ma.sjɔ̃/ |
formassiez /fɔʁ.ma.sje/ |
formassent /fɔʁ.mas/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | forme /fɔʁm/ |
— | formons /fɔʁ.mɔ̃/ |
formez /fɔʁ.me/ |
— | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “former”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Latin edit
Verb edit
fōrmer
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Noun edit
former m or f
- indefinite plural of form
Verb edit
former
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Noun edit
former f
- indefinite plural of form
Swedish edit
Noun edit
former
- indefinite plural of form