former

English

Pronunciation
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɔɹmɚ/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɔːmə/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)mə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

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

former (comparative form only)

  1. 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.
  2. 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
Derived terms
Translations
See also

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English formere. By surface analysis, form +‎ -er.

Noun

former (plural formers)

  1. Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.
    Dave was the former of the company.
  2. An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die.
    The brick arch was built using a wooden former.
  3. (chiefly British, used in combinations) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).
    Fifth-former.
    Sixth-former.
Derived terms

Anagrams

Danish

Pronunciation

IPA(key): [ˈfɒːmɐ]

Noun

former c

  1. indefinite plural of form

Pronunciation

IPA(key): [ˈfɒːmɐ]

Verb

former

  1. present of forme

Pronunciation

IPA(key): [fʌˈmeɐ̯ˀ]

Verb

former or formér

  1. imperative of formere

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French, borrowed from Latin fōrmāre (“to form”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /fɔʁ.me/
  • Audio(file)

Verb

former

  1. to form (generic sense)
  2. to shape (to make into a certain shape)
  3. to train; to educate

Conjugation
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 – tu – nous vous –
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:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Further reading

Latin

Verb

fōrmer

  1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of fōrmō

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

former m or f

  1. indefinite plural of form

Verb

former

  1. present of forme

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

former f

  1. indefinite plural of form

Swedish

Noun

former

  1. indefinite plural of form

Anagrams
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