former

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English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

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)

  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[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

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 Britain, 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]

IPA(key): [ˈfɒːmɐ]

Noun[edit]

former c

  1. indefinite plural of form

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): [ˈfɒːmɐ]

Verb[edit]

former

  1. present of forme

Etymology 3[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): [fʌˈmeɐ̯ˀ]

Verb[edit]

former or formér

  1. imperative of formere

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

former

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

Conjugation[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Latin[edit]

Verb[edit]

fōrmer

  1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of fōrmō

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Noun[edit]

former m or f

  1. indefinite plural of form

Verb[edit]

former

  1. present of forme

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Noun[edit]

former f

  1. indefinite plural of form

Swedish[edit]

Noun[edit]

former

  1. indefinite plural of form

Anagrams[edit]