In sense "division grouping school students" (now dated), derived frompublic school nomenclature later adopted by state schools. It is sometimes said to be from the sense of "bench", where students of certain ages would sit together,[1] though this is disputed,[2] or alternatively from the sense of "established method of expression or practice".[3]
Theshape or visible structure of a thing or person.
1699,William Temple,Heads designed for an essay on conversations[3]:
Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance andform to the statue, the other polishes it.
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 theirforms with sandy spume.
As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become aform 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.
A thing that gives shape to other things as in amold.
Regularity, beauty, or elegance.
(philosophy) Theinherentnature of an object; that which the mind itself contributes as the condition of knowing; that in which theessence of a thing consists.
Characteristics not involving atomic components.(Can we add anexample for this sense?)
And there with syr Launcelot wrapped his mantel aboute his arme wel and surely and by thenne they had geten a gretefourme oute of the halle and there with all they rasshed at the dore[…].
1585–1586 January 18, chapter LXIII, in [William Greenwell], editor,Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham. Part II (The Publications of theSurtees Society; XXXVIII), Durham: George Andrews, Durham; London: Whittaker and Co.; T. and W. Boone; Edinburgh:Blackwood and Sons, published1860,→OCLC,page132:
In the hall. One large table, with frame. 10s. ij cobbordes 8s. jfourme, j chaire, and j kenninge measure, 12d.
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 oakforms, as benches used to be called.
(fine arts) The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body.
(crystallography) The combination ofplanes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid.
Established method of expression or practice; fixed way of proceeding; conventional or stated scheme; formula.
1697,Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, inJohn Dryden, transl.,The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis.[…], London:[…]Jacob Tonson,[…],→OCLC:
Those whomform of laws Condemned to die.
1897, Richard Marsh,The Beetle:
[H]e sprang into the road, without previously going through the emptyform of advising the driver of his intention, to pick [his hat] up.
Constitution; mode of construction, organization, etc.; system.
a republicanform of government
Show without substance; empty, outside appearance; vain, trivial, or conventional ceremony; conventionality; formality.
a.1716 (date written),[Gilbert] Burnet, edited by[Gilbert Burnet Jr.],Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time.[…], volume(please specify |volume=I or II), London:[…] Thomas Ward[…], published1724,→OCLC:
ladies of a highform
(UK) Past history (in a given area); ahabit of doing something.
2011 May 4, Jane Martinson,The Guardian:
It's fair to say she hasform 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.
2023 July 4,Marina Hyde, “Who’s for political Bazball with Rishi? Voters? Tories? Anyone?”, inThe Guardian[4]:
As for the notion that it’s not how Sunak would have won, that doesn’t mean a whole lot coming from a guy whose recentform includes losing to Liz Truss.
(UK,education,dated) A numbered division grouping school students (usually every two years) in education between Years 1 and 13 (often preceded by anordinal number to specify the form, as insixth form).[from 1550s]
Nathaniel: Maister, there is nobody to teach in the sixthform. Maister: What a thing is this? N: He is sick in bed. M: How do you know? N: One of the scholars in his house told me so.
1880,Charles Kingsley,Out of the Deep: Words for the Sorrowful[6], London: Macmillan & Co., page190:
I am a very weak, insufficient scholar, sitting on the lowestform in Thy great school-house, which is the whole world, and trying to spell out the mere letters of Thy alphabet[…]
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? Whichform are you in?[…]"
1976, Ronald King,School and college: studies of post-sixteen education:
From the sixthform will come the scholars and the administrators.
A blank document ortemplate to be filled in by the user.
To apply for the position, complete the applicationform.
The Egyptians therefore in their hieroglyphics expressed a melancholy man by a hare sitting in herform, as being a most timorous and solitary creature.
1998, Gary Cornell,Visual Basic 6 from the ground up, page426:
While it is quite amazing how much one can do with Visual Basic with the code attached to a singleform, 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.
2010, Neil Smyth,C# Essentials:
Throughout this chapter we will work with aform in a new project.
In accents without thehorse-hoarse merger, a distinction in pronunciation was formerly made between senses 1.6 "long bench", 2.8 "class of pupils", and 6 "den", pronounced/fo(ə)ɹm/,/foəm/ (< Middle English/fuːrm/) and all other senses, pronounced/fɔː(ɹ)m/ (< Middle English/fɔrm/).[4][5]
Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats byforming 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.
(transitive) To give (ashape or visible structure) to a thing or person.
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 plaqueforms 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.
But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶[…]The linen-press and a chest on the top of itformed, 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”, inBoys' Life, Volume 38, Number 5, Boy Scouts of America, ISSN 0006-8608,p.10:
Insectsform the biggest family group in nature's kingdom, and also the oldest.
To mould or model by instruction or discipline.
Singing in a choir helps toform a child's sociality.
1697,Virgil, “The Fourth Book of theGeorgics”, inJohn Dryden, transl.,The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis.[…], London:[…]Jacob Tonson,[…],→OCLC:
The melancholy hare isformed in brakes and briers.
1819, John Mayer,The Sportsman's Directory, or Park and Gamekeeper's Companion:
This is the time that the horseman are flung out, not having the cry to lead them to the death. When quadruped animals of the venery or hunting kind are at rest, the stag is said to be harboured, the buck lodged, the fox kennelled, the badger earthed, the otter vented or watched, the hareformed, and the rabbit set. When you find and rouse up the stag and buck, they are said to be imprimed:[…]
(electricity,historical,transitive) Totreat (plates) to prepare them for introduction into astoragebattery, causing one plate to be composed more or less of spongylead, and the other of leadperoxide. This was formerly done by repeated slowalternations of the charging current, but later the plates or grids were coated or filled, one with a paste ofred lead and the other withlitharge, introduced into the cell, and formed by a direct charging current.
The name offorma was also given to the seat of the choristers in a cathedral and the desk in front of them.Formula, a stool to kneel on.—Duc. There can be no doubt that this is essentially the same application with the name of the classes at our public schools, firstform,sixth form, &c., but whether the class is calledform from sitting on the same bench, or whether the bench is so designated from being occupied by a single class, may be a question. It seems certain thatforma was used for class or order in the lower Latin. 'Supernumerarii sacri ministerii primæ vel secundæformæ,' of the first or second order.—Cod. Theodos. de Castrensianis in Duc.
^“sense I.6.b.” under “form”, inOED Online, Oxford:Oxford University Press, launched 2000: “The word is usually explained as meaning originally ‘a number of scholars sitting on the same form’ (sense II.17); but there appears to be no ground for this.”
^Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “form”, inOnline Etymology Dictionary: “From 1550s as "a class or rank at school" (from sense "a fixed course of study," late 14c.)”
bygger man … en moderne storby-bygning eller en bensinstasjon à la gresk tempel får man ikke den riktige organiske sammenheng mellem stoffet og formen som er kjennetegnet for den ekte kunst, den ekte stil
if you build a modern metropolitan building or a gas station à la grecque temple, you will not get the right organic connection between the fabric and the shape that is characteristic of the real art, the real style
2006, Lars Roar,Når fuglen letter, page79:
[Håkon Gullvåg ble] satt til å undervise ved Institutt for form og farge på NTH
[Håkon Gullvåg was] set to teach at the Department of Design and Color at NTH
enhver nations konst er fra folkesangen gjennem de små former i tidernes løb vandret over i de større, fyldigere, mere combinerede. Havde Kjerulf pleiet store former, som sonaten, symphonien, da havde han forsøgt en opgave, som ikke tilkom ham
every nation's art is from the folk song through the small forms over time horizontal to the larger, fuller, more combined. Had Kjerulf nurtured great designs, such as the sonata, the symphony, then he would have tried a task that did not belong to him
1944, Børre Qvamme,Musikk, page113:
Griegs kvartett … var den rene vanhelligelse av den formen Haydn, Mozart og Beethoven hadde skapt noen av sine fineste verk i
Grieg's quartet… was the pure desecration of the design Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven had created some of their finest works in
1944, Børre Qvamme,Musikk, page123:
Schumann … var liksom for kortpustet til å lykkes helt i «den store form»
Schumann… was somehow too short of breath to succeed completely in "the great design"
2005, Erik Lundesgaard,Skikk og bruk:
De-formen er nesten forsvunnet, og brukes for det meste i skriftlig form
The de-form has almost disappeared, and is mostly used in written form
det var ikke slik at jeg nøt smaken av kaffe eller følelsen av røyk …, poenget var å ha det gjort, det var en rutine, og som med alle rutiner, lå det hele i formen
it was not like I enjoyed the taste of coffee or the feeling of smoke…, the point was to have it done, it was a routine, and as with all routines, it was all in form
det var ulike former for sting, ulike teknikker som krevde perfeksjon og håndlag
there were different types of stitches, different techniques that required perfection and craftsmanship
2010, Arne Danielsen,Mesteren:
korrespondansesjakk var tidligere en form for sjakk der spillerne sendte postkort fram og tilbake til hverandre, der et enkelt parti kunne vare i flere år
correspondence chess was formerly a form of chess where players sent postcards back and forth to each other, where a single game could last for several years
2011, Sofie Hexeberg, Gunn-Karin Sakariassen,Frisk med lavkarbo:
enhver form for mosjon [vil] være gunstig hvis du sliter med høyt blodsukker
Any form of exercise [will] be beneficial if you are struggling with high blood sugar
(philosophy) aform(an eternal type of thing or idea, especially inPlato's philosophy)
den formløse materie fortæller os ikke noget; formen alene gir den liv … [Platon] saa stoffet bli levende ved formens magt
the formless matter tells us nothing; form alone gives it life… [Plato] so that matter becomes alive by the power of form
(philosophy, natural science) theformal cause(the design, pattern, or pure concept of a thing, which gives form or structure to its matter, inAristotelianism)
(linguistics,grammar) aform(a grouping of words which maintain grammatical context in different usages; the particular shape or structure of a word or part of speech)
1917,Ivar Aasen,Reise-Erindringer og Reise-Indberetninger 1842−1847, page133:
opmærksomheden henvendes mest paa de distrikter, som enten ved sin beliggenhed eller paa grund af nærmere efterretning kunne formodes at have beholdt mest af de gamle nationale ord og former
attention is drawn mostly to those districts which, either by their location or by closer examination, could be presumed to have retained most of the old national words and forms;
aform,mold(a hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance)
et glass gulrotsaft eller annen råkost [er] efter manges mening … en ufravikelig bestanddel av kosten hvis man skal holde sig «i form» – et uttrykk som for øvrig [i 1933] neppe ennu er sivet inn i familiens dagligtale fra sports-jargonen
a glass of carrot juice or other raw food [is] in the opinion of many… an inalienable component of the diet if one is to stay «in shape» - an expression which by the way [in 1933] has hardly yet seeped into the family's everyday speech from sports jargon
, Oxford:Oxford University Press, launched 2000: “The word is usually explained as meaning originally ‘a number of scholars sitting on the same form’ (sense II.17); but there appears to be no ground for this.”
form on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipediada
