Chapter CLXXX: Foreword: Fore"word`, n (1)

Defn: A preface. Furnvall.

FOREWORN Fore*worn", a. Etym: [See Forworn.]

Defn: Worn out; wasted; used up. [Archaic] Old foreworn stories almost forgotten. Brydges.

FOREWOT Fore*wot", pres. indic.

Defn: , 1st & 3d pers. sing. of Forewite. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FOREYARD Fore"yard`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: The lowermost yard on the foremast.

Note: [See Illust. of Ship.]

FORFALTURE For"fal*ture, n.

Defn: Forfeiture. [Obs.]

FORFEIT For"feit, n. Etym: [OE. forfet crime, penalty, F. forfait crime (LL. forefactum, forifactum), prop. p.p. of forfaire to forfeit, transgress, fr. LL. forifacere, prop., to act beyond; L. foris out of doors, abroad, beyond + facere to do. See Foreign, and FAct.]

1. Injury; wrong; mischief. [Obs. & R.] To seek arms upon people and country that never did us any forfeit. Ld. Berners.

2. A thing forfeit or forfeited; what is or may be taken from one in requital of a misdeed committed; that which is lost, or the right to which is alienated, by a crime, offense, neglect of duty, or breach of contract; hence, a fine; a mulct; a penalty; as, he who murders pays the forfeit of his life. Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal Remit thy other forfeits. Shak.

3. Something deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine; -- whence the game of forfeits. Country dances and forfeits shortened the rest of the day. Goldsmith.

FORFEIT For"feit, a. Etym: [F. forfait, p.p. of forfaire. See Forfeit, n.]

Defn: Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure. Thy wealth being forfeit to the state. Shak. To tread the forfeit paradise. Emerson.

FORFEIT For"feit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Forfeited; p. pr. & vb. n. Forfeiting.] Etym: [OE. forfeten. See Forfeit, n.]

Defn: To lose, or lose the right to, by some error, fault, offense, or crime; to render one's self by misdeed liable to be deprived of; to alienate the right to possess, by some neglect or crime; as, to forfeit an estate by treason; to forfeit reputation by a breach of promise; -- with to before the one acquiring what is forfeited. [They] had forfeited their property by their crimes. Burke. Undone and forfeited to cares forever! Shak.

FORFEIT For"feit, v. i.

1. To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress. [Obs.]

2. To fail to keep an obligation. [Obs.] I will have the heart of him if he forfeit. Shak.

FORFEIT For"feit, p. p. or a.

Defn: In the condition of being forfeited; subject to alienation. Shak. Once more I will renew His lapsèd powers, though forfeite. Milton.

FORFEITABLE For"feit*a*ble, a.

Defn: Liable to be forfeited; subject to forfeiture. For the future, uses shall be subject to the statutes of mortmain, and forfeitable, like the lands themselves. Blackstone.

FORFEITER For"feit*er, n.

Defn: One who incurs a penalty of forfeiture.

FORFEITURE For"fei*ture, n. Etym: [F. forfeiture, LL. forisfactura.]

1. The act of forfeiting; the loss of some right, privilege, estate, honor, office, or effects, by an offense, crime, breach of condition, or other act. Under pain of foreiture of the said goods. Hakluyt.

2. That which is forfeited; a penalty; a fine or mulct. What should I gain By the exaction of the forfeiture Shak.

Syn. -- Fine; mulct; amercement; penalty.

FORFEND For*fend", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + fend. See Forewend.]

Defn: To prohibit; to forbid; to avert. [Archaic] Which peril heaven forefend! Shak.

Note: This is etymologically the preferable spelling.

FORFERED For*fer"ed, p. p. & a. Etym: [See For-, and Fear.]

Defn: Excessively alarmed; in great fear. [Obs.] "Forfered of his death." Chaucer.

FORFETE For"fete, v. i. Etym: [See Forfeit.]

Defn: To incur a penalty; to transgress. [Obs.] And all this suffered our Lord Jesus Christ that never forfeted. Chaucer.

FORFEX For"fex, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: A pair of shears. Pope.

FORFICATE For"fi*cate, a. Etym: [L. forfex, forficis, shears.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Deeply forked, as the tail of certain birds.

FORFICULA For*fic"u*la, n. Etym: [L., small shears, scissors, dim. of forfex shears.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of insects including the earwigs. See Earwig, 1.

FORGATHER For*gath"er, v. i.

Defn: To convene; to gossip; to meet accidentally. [Scot.] Jamieson. Within that circle he forgathered with many a fool. Wilson.

FORGAVE For*gave",

Defn: imp. of Forgive.

FORGE Forge, n. Etym: [F. forge, fr. L. fabrica the workshop of an artisan who works in hard materials, fr. faber artisan, smith, as adj., skillful, ingenious; cf. Gr. Fabric.]

1. A place or establishment where iron or other metals are wrought by heating and hammering; especially, a furnace, or a shop with its furnace, etc., where iron is heated and wrought; a smithy. In the quick forge and working house of thought. Shak.

2. The works where wrought iron is produced directly from the ore, or where iron is rendered malleable by puddling and shingling; a shingling mill.

3. The act of beating or working iron or steel; the manufacture of metalic bodies. [Obs.] In the greater bodies the forge was easy. Bacon. American forge, a forge for the direct production of wrought iron, differing from the old Catalan forge mainly in using finely crushed ore and working continuously. Raymond. -- Catalan forge. (Metal.) See under Catalan. -- Forge cinder, the dross or slag form a forge or bloomary. -- Forge rolls, Forge train, the train of rolls by which a bloom is converted into puddle bars. -- Forge wagon (Mil.), a wagon fitted up for transporting a blackmith's forge and tools. -- Portable forge, a light and compact blacksmith's forge, with bellows, etc., that may be moved from place to place.

FORGE Forge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Forged; p. pr. & vb. n. Forging.] Etym: [F. forger, OF. forgier, fr. L. fabricare, fabricari, to form, frame, fashion, from fabrica. See Forge, n., and cf. Fabricate.]

1. To form by heating and hammering; to beat into any particular shape, as a metal. Mars's armor forged for proof eterne. Shak.

2. To form or shape out in any way; to produce; to frame; to invent. Those names that the schools forged, and put into the mouth of scholars, could never get admittance into common use. Locke. Do forge a life-long trouble for ourselves. Tennyson.

3. To coin. [Obs.] Chaucer.

4. To make falsely; to produce, as that which is untrue or not genuine; to fabricate; to counterfeit, as, a signature, or a signed document. That paltry story is untrue, And forged to cheat such gulls as you. Hudibras. Forged certificates of his . . . moral character. Macaulay.

Syn. -- To fabricate; counterfeit; feign; falsify.

FORGE Forge, v. i. Etym: [See Forge, v. t., and for sense 2, cf. Forge compel.]

1. To commit forgery.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: To move heavily and slowly, as a ship after the sails are furled; to work one's way, as one ship in outsailing another; -- used especially in the phrase to forge ahead. Totten. And off she [a ship] forged without a shock. De Quincey.

FORGE Forge, v. t. (Naut.)

Defn: To impel forward slowly; as, to forge a ship forward.

FORGEMAN Forge"man, n.; pl. Forgemen (.

Defn: A skilled smith, who has a hammerer to assist him.

FORGER For"ger, n.Etym: [Cf. F. forgeur metal worker, L. fabricator artificer. See Forge, n. & v. t., and cf. Fabricator.]

Defn: One who forges, makes, of forms; a fabricator; a falsifier.

2. Especially: One guilty of forgery; one who makes or issues a counterfeit document.

FORGERY For"ger*y, n.; pl. Forgeries. Etym: [Cf. F. forgerie.]

1. The act of forging metal into shape. [Obs.] Useless the forgery Of brazen shield and spear. Milton.

2. The act of forging, fabricating, or producing falsely; esp., the crime of fraudulently making or altering a writing or signature purporting to be made by another; the false making or material alteration of or addition to a written instrument for the purpose of deceit and fraud; as, the forgery of a bond. Bouvier.

3. That which is forged, fabricated, falsely devised, or counterfeited. These are the forgeries of jealously. Shak. The writings going under the name of Aristobulus were a forgery of the second century. Waterland.

Syn. -- Counterfeit; Forgery. Counterfeit is chiefly used of imitations of coin, or of paper money, or of securities depending upon pictorial devices and engraved designs for identity or assurance of genuineness. Forgery is more properly applied to making a false imitation of an instrument depending on signatures to show genuineness and validity. Abbott.

FORGET For*get", v. t. [imp. Forgot (Forgat (, Obs.); p. p. Forgotten, Forgot; p. pr. & vb. n. Forgetting.] Etym: [OE. forgeten, foryeten, AS. forgietan, forgitan; pref. for- + gietan, gitan (only in comp.), to get; cf. D. vergeten, G. vergessen, Sw. förgäta, Dan. forgiette. See For-, and Get, v. t.]

1. To lose the remembrance of; to let go from the memory; to cease to have in mind; not to think of; also, to lose the power of; to cease from doing. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Ps. ciii. 2. Let y right hand forget her cunning. Ps. cxxxvii. 5. Hath thy knee forget to bow Shak.

2. To treat with inattention or disregard; to slight; to neglect. Can a woman forget her sucking child . . . Yes, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Is. xlix. 15. To forget one's self. (a) To become unmindful of one's own personality; to be lost in thought. (b) To be entirely unselfish. (c) To be guilty of what is unworthy of one; to lose one's dignity, temper, or self-control.

FORGETFUL For*get"ful, a.

1. Apt to forget; easily losing remembrance; as, a forgetful man should use helps to strengthen his memory.

2. Heedless; careless; neglectful; inattentive. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. Heb. xiii. 2.

3. Causing to forget; inducing oblivion; oblivious. [Archaic or Poetic] "The forgetful wine." J. Webster.

FORGETFULLY For*get"ful*ly, adv.

Defn: In a forgetful manner.

FORGETFULNESS For*get"ful*ness, n.

1. The quality of being forgetful; prononess to let slip from the mind.

2. Loss of remembrance or recollection; a ceasing to remember; oblivion. A sweet forgetfulness of human care. Pope.

3. Failure to bear in mind; careless omission; inattention; as, forgetfulness of duty.

Syn. -- Forgetfulnes, Oblivion. Forgetfulness is Anglo-Saxon, and oblivion is Latin. The former commonly has reference to persons, and marks a state of mind, and marks a state of mind; the latter commonly has reference to things, and indicates a condition into which they are sunk. We blame a man for his forgetfulness; we speak of some old custom as buried in oblivion. But this discrimination is not strictly adhered to.

FORGETIVE For"ge*tive, a. Etym: [From Forge.]

Defn: Inventive; productive; capable. [Obs.] Shak.

FORGET-ME-NOT For*get"-me-not`, n. Etym: [Cf. G. vergissmeinnicht.] (Bot.)

Defn: A small herb, of the genus Myosotis (M. palustris, incespitosa, etc.), bearing a beautiful blue flower, and extensively considered the emblem of fidelity.

Note: Formerly the name was given to the Ajuga Chamæpitus.

FORGETTABLE For*get"ta*ble, a.

Defn: Liable to be, or that may be, forgotten. Carlyle.

FORGETTER For*get"ter, n.

Defn: One who forgets; a heedless person. Johnson.

FORGETTINGLY For*get"ting*ly, adv.

Defn: By forgetting.

FORGING For"ging, n.

1. The act of shaping metal by hammering or pressing.

2. The act of counterfeiting.

3. (Mach.)

Defn: A piece of forged work in metal; -- a general name for a piece of hammered iron or steel. There are very few yards in the world at which such forgings could be turned out. London Times.

FORGIVABLE For*giv"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being forgiven; pardonable; venial. Sherwood.

FORGIVE For*give", v. t. [imp. Forgave; p. p. Forgiven; p. pr. & vb. n. Forgiving] Etym: [OE. forgiven, foryiven, foryeven, AS. forgiefan, forgifan; perh. for- + giefan, gifan to give; cf. D. vergeven, G. vergeben, Icel. fyrirgefa, Sw. f, Goth. fragiban to give, grant. See For-, and Give, v. t.]

1. To give wholly; to make over without reservation; to resign. To them that list the world's gay shows I leave, And to great ones such folly do forgive. Spenser.

2. To give up resentment or claim to requital on account of (an offense or wrong); to remit the penalty of; to pardon; -- said in reference to the act forgiven. And their sins should be forgiven them. Mark iv. 12. He forgive injures so readily that he might be said to invite them. Macaulay.

3. To cease to feel resentment against, on account of wrong committed; to give up claim to requital from or retribution upon (an offender); to absolve; to pardon; -- said of the person offending. Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke xxiii. 34. I as free forgive you, as I would be fforgiven. Shak.

Note: Sometimes both the person and the offense follow as objects of the verb, sometimes one and sometimes the other being the indirect object. "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Matt. vi. 12. "Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." Matt. ix. 2.

Syn. -- See excuse.

FORGIVENESS For*give"ness, n. Etym: [AS. forgifnes.]

1. The act of forgiving; the state of being forgiven; as, the forgiveness of sin or of injuries. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses. Dan. ix. 9. In whom we have . . . the forgiveness of sin. Eph. i. 7.

2. Disposition to pardon; willingness to forgive. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Ps. cxxx. 3, 4.

FORGIVER For*giv"er, n.

Defn: One who forgives. Johnson.

FORGIVING For*giv"ing, a.

Defn: Disposed to forgive; inclined to overlook offenses; mild; merciful; compassionate; placable; as, a forgiving temper. -- For*giv"ing*ly, adv. -- For*giv"ing*ness, n. J. C. Shairp.

FORGO For*go", v. t. [imp. Forwent; p. p. Forgone; p. pr. & vb. n. Forgoing.] Etym: [OE. forgan, forgon, forgoon, AS. forgan, prop., to go past, hence, to abstain from; pref. for- + gan to go; akin to G. vergehen to pass away, to transgress. See Go, v. i.]

Defn: To pass by; to leave. See 1st Forego. For sith [since] I shall forgoon my liberty At your request. Chaucer. And four [days] since Florimell the court forwent. Spenser.

Note: This word in spelling has been confused with, and almost superseded by, forego to go before. Etymologically the form forgo is correct.

FORGOT For*got",

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Forget.

FORGOTTEN For*got"ten,

Defn: p. p. of Forget.

FORHALL For*hall", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + hale to draw.]

Defn: To harass; to torment; to distress. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORHEND For*hend", v. t.

Defn: To seize upon. [Obs.]

FORINSECAL Fo*rin"se*cal, a. Etym: [L. forinsecus from without.]

Defn: Foreign; alien. [Obs.] Bp. Burnet.

FORISFAMILIATE Fo`ris*fa*mil"i*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Forisfamiliated; p. pr. & vb. n. Forisfamiliating.] Etym: [LL. forisfamiliatus, p.p. of forisfamiliater to forisfamiliate; L. foris abroad, without + familia family.] (LAw)

Defn: Literally, to put out of a family; hence, to portion off, so as to exclude further claim of inheritance; to emancipate (as a with his own consent) from paternal authority. Blackstone.

FORISFAMILIATE Fo`ris*fa*mil"i*ate, v. i. (Law)

Defn: To renounce a legal title to a further share of paternal inheritance.

FORISFAMILIATION Fo`ris*fa*mil`i*a"tion, n. (Law)

Defn: The act of forisfamiliating.

FORK Fork, n. Etym: [AS. forc, fr. L. furca. Cf. Fourch, Furcate.]

1. An instrument consisting consisting of a handle with a shank terminating in two or more prongs or tines, which are usually of metal, parallel and slightly curved; -- used from piercing, holding, taking up, or pitching anything.

2. Anything furcate or like of a fork in shape, or furcate at the extremity; as, a tuning fork.

3. One of the parts into which anything is furcated or divided; a prong; a branch of a stream, a road, etc.; a barbed point, as of an arrow. Let it fall . . . though the fork invade The region of my heart. Shak. A thunderbolt with three forks. Addison.

4. The place where a division or a union occurs; the angle or opening between two branches or limbs; as, the fork of a river, a tree, or a road.

5. The gibbet. [Obs.] Bp. Butler. Fork beam (Shipbuilding), a half beam to support a deck, where hatchways occur. -- Fork chuck (Wood Turning), a lathe center having two prongs for driving the work. -- Fork head. (a) The barbed head of an arrow. (b) The forked end of a rod which forms part of a knuckle joint. -- In fork. (Mining) A mine is said to be in fork, or an engine to "have the water in fork," when all the water is drawn out of the mine. Ure. -- The forks of a river or a road, the branches into which it divides, or which come together to form it; the place where separation or union takes place.

FORK Fork, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Forked; p. pr. & vb. n. Forking.]

1. To shoot into blades, as corn. The corn beginneth to fork. Mortimer. 1

2. To divide into two or more branches; as, a road, a tree, or a stream forks.

FORK Fork, v. t.

Defn: To raise, or pitch with a fork, as hay; to dig or turn over with a fork, as the soil. Forking the sheaves on the high-laden cart. Prof. Wilson. To fork over or out, to hand or pay over, as money. [Slang] G. Eliot.

FORKBEARD Fork"beard`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A European fish (Raniceps raninus), having a large flat head; -- also called tadpole fish, and lesser forked beard. (b) The European forked hake or hake's-dame (Phycis blennoides); -- also called great forked beard.

FORKED Forked, a.

1. Formed into a forklike shape; having a fork; dividing into two or more prongs or branches; furcated; bifurcated; zigzag; as, the forked lighting. A serpent seen, with forked tongue. Shak.

2. Having a double meaning; ambiguous; equivocal. Cross forked (Her.), a cross, the ends of whose arms are divided into two sharp points; -- called also cross double fitché. A cross forked of three points is a cross, each of whose arms terminates in three sharp points. -- Forked counsel, advice pointing more than one way; ambiguous advice. [Obs.] B. Jonson. -- Fork"ed*ly, adv. -- Fork"ed*ness, n.

FORKERVE For*kerve, v. t. [Obs.]

Defn: See Forcarve, v. t.

FORKINESS Fork"i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state or dividing in a forklike manner.

FORKLESS Fork"less, a.

Defn: Having no fork.

FORKTAIL Fork"tail`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) One of several Asiatic and East Indian passerine birds, belonging to Enucurus, and allied genera. The tail is deeply forking. (b) A salmon in its fourth year's growth. [Prov. Eng.]

FORK-TAILED Fork"-tailed`, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the outer tail feathers longer than the median ones; swallow-tailed; -- said of many birds. Fork-tailed flycatcher (Zoöl.), a tropical American flycatcher (Milvulus tyrannus). -- Fork-tailed gull (Zoöl.), a gull of the genus Xema, of two species, esp. X. Sabinii of the Arctic Ocean. -- Fork-tailed kite (Zoöl.), a graceful American kite (Elanoides forficatus); -- called also swallow-tailed kite.

FORKY Fork"y, a.

Defn: Opening into two or more parts or shoots; forked; furcated. "Forky tongues." Pope.

FORLAFT For*laft", obs.

Defn: p. p. of Forleave. Chaucer.

FORLAY For*lay", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + lay.]

Defn: To lie in wait for; to ambush. An ambushed thief forlays a traveler. Dryden.

FORLEAVE For*leave", v. t. Etym: [OE. forleven; pref. for- + leven to leave.]

Defn: To leave off wholly. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FORLEND For*lend", v. t.

Defn: To give up wholly. [Obs.]

FORLESE For*lese", v. t. [p. p. Forlore, Forlorn (.] Etym: [OE. forlesen. See Forlorn.]

Defn: To lose utterly. [Obs.] haucer.

FORLET For*let", v. t. Etym: [OE. forleten, AS. forl; pref. for- + l to allow; akin to G. verlassen to leave. See Let to allow.]

Defn: To give up; to leave; to abandon. [Obs.] "To forlet sin." Chaucer.

FORLIE For*lie", v. i.

Defn: See Forlie.

FORLORE For*lore", imp. pl. & p. p.

Defn: oForlese. [Obs.] The beasts their caves, the birds their neforlore. Fairfax.

FORLORN For*lorn", a. Etym: [OE., p.p. of forlesen to lose utterly, AS. forleósan (p.p. forloren); pref. for- + leósan (in comp.) to lose; cf. D. verliezen to lose, G. verlieren, Sw. förlora, Dan. forloren, Goth. fraliusan to lose. See For-, and Lorn, a., Lose, v. t.]

1. Deserted abandoned; lost. Of fortune and of hope at once forlorn. Spenser. Some say that ravens foster forlorn children. Shak.

2. Destitute; helpless; in pitiful plight; wretched; miserable; almost hopeless; desperate. For here forlorn and lost I tread. Goldsmith. The condition of the besieged in the mean time was forlorn in the extreme. Prescott. She cherished the forlorn hope that he was still living. Thomson. A forlorn hope Etym: [D. verloren hoop, prop., a lost band or troop; verloren, p.p. of verliezen to lose + hoop band; akin to E. heap. See For-, and Heap.] (Mil.), a body of men (called in F. enfants perdus, in G. verloren posten) selected, usually from volunteers, to attempt a breach, scale the wall of a fortress, or perform other extraordinarily perilous service; also, a desperate case or enterprise.

Syn. -- Destitute, lost; abandoned; forsaken; solitary; helpless; friendless; hopeless; abject; wretched; miserable; pitiable.

FORLORN For*lorn", n.

1. A lost, forsaken, or solitary person. Forced to live in Scotland a forlorn. Shak.

2. A forlorn hope; a vanguard. [Obs.] Our forlorn of horse marched within a mile of the enemy. Oliver Cromvell.

FORLORNLY For*lorn"ly, adv.

Defn: In a forlorn manner. Pollok.

FORLORNNESS For*lorn"ness, n.

Defn: State of being forlorn. Boyle.

FORLYE For*lye", v. i.

Defn: Same as Forlie. [Obs.]

FORM form (. Etym: [See Form, n.]

Defn: A suffix used to denote in the form or shape of, resembling, etc.; as, valiform; oviform.

FORM Form (form; in senses 8 & 9, often form in England), n. Etym: [OE. & F. forme, fr. L. forma; cf. Skr. dhariman. Cf. 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.)

Defn: The type or other matter from which an impression is to be taken, arranged and secured in a chase.

11. (Fine Arts)

Defn: The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body.

12. (Gram.)

Defn: The particular shape or structure of a word or part of speech; as, participial forms; verbal forms.

13. (Crystallog.)

Defn: The combination of planes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid.

14. (Metaph.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Formed; p. pr. & vb. n. Forming.] Etym: [F. former, L. formare, fr. forma. See Form, n.]

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, n., 9. The melancholy hare is formed in brakes and briers. Drayton.

5. (Gram.)

Defn: To derive by grammatical rules, as by adding the proper suffixes and affixes.

FORM Form, v. i.

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.

FORMAL For"mal, a. Etym: [L. formalis: cf. F. 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 oe 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 is 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. [Obs.] 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, n. Etym: [Formic + aldehyde.] (Chem.)

Defn: A colorless, volatile liquid, H2CO, resembling acetic or ethyl aldehyde, and chemically intermediate between methyl alcohol and formic acid.

FORMALIN For"ma*lin, n. [Formic + aldehyde + -in.] (Chem.)

Defn: An aqueous solution of formaldehyde, used as a preservative in museums and as a disinfectant.

FORMALISM Form"al*ism, n.

Defn: 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, n. Etym: [Cf. F. formaliste.]

Defn: 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, n.; pl. Formalities. Etym: [Cf. F. 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. pl.

Defn: The dress prescribed for any body of men, academical, municipal, or sacerdotal. [Obs.] 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.)

Defn: 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, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Formalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Formalizing.]

1. To give form, or a certain form, to; to model. [R.]

2. To render formal.

FORMALIZE Form"al*ize, v. i.

Defn: To affect formality. [Obs.] ales.

FORMALLY Form"al*ly, adv.

Defn: 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`ma" or for`mät"), n. [F. or G. Cf. Formation.] (Print.)

Defn: 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, n. Etym: [See Formic.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of formic acid. [Written also formiate.]

FORMATION For*ma"tion, n. Etym: [L. formatio: cf. F. 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.)

Defn: The arrangement of a body of troops, as in a square, column, etc. Farrow.

FORMATIVE Form"a*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. 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.)

Defn: Serving to form; derivative; not radical; as, a termination merely formative.

3. (Biol.)

Defn: Capable of growth and development; germinal; as, living or formative matter.

FORMATIVE Form"a*tive, n. (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.

FORME For`mé", a. (Her.)

Defn: Same as Paté or Patté.

FORME For"me, a. Etym: [OE., fr. AS. forma. See Foremost.]

Defn: First. [Obs.] "Adam our forme father." Chaucer.

FORMED Formed, a.

1. (Astron.)

Defn: Arranged, as stars in a constellation; as, formed stars. [R.]

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Having structure; capable of growth and development; organized; as, the formed or organized ferments. See Ferment, n. 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, n. Etym: [OF., fr. Latin. So called because the plaintiff claimed "by the form of the gift,: L. per formam doni.] (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: 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, n. Etym: [Dim. of F. forme the female of a bird of prey.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The female of a hawk or falcon.

FORMER Form"er, n.

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, a. Etym: [A compar. due to OE. 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", n. Etym: [F.] (Arch.)

Defn: One of the half ribs against the walls in a ceiling vaulted with ribs.

FORMERLY For"mer*ly, adv.

Defn: In time past, either in time immediately preceding or at any indefinite distance; of old; heretofore.

FORMFUL Form"ful, a.

Defn: Creative; imaginative. [R.] "The formful brain." Thomson.

FORMIC For"mic, a. Etym: [L. formica an ant: cf. F. formique.] (Chem.)

Defn: 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, n. Etym: [L., an ant.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A Linnæan genus of hymenopterous insects, including the common ants. See Ant.

FORMICAROID For`mi*ca"roid, a. Etym: [NL. Formicarius, the typical genus + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like or pertaining to the family Formicaridæ or ant thrushes.

FORMICARY For"mi*ca*ry, n. Etym: [LL. formicarium, fr. L. formica an ant.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The nest or dwelling of a swarm of ants; an ant-hill.

FORMICATE For"mi*cate, a. Etym: [L. formica an ant.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling, or pertaining to, an ant or ants.

FORMICATION For`mi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. formicatio, fr. formicare to creep like an ant, to feel as if ants were crawling on one's self, fr. formica ant: cf. F. formication.] (Med.)

Defn: A sensation resembling that made by the creeping of ants on the skin. Dunglison.

FORMICID For"mi*cid, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the ants. -- n.

Defn: One of the family Formicidæ, or ants.

FORMIDABILITY For`mi*da*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: Formidableness. Walpole.

FORMIDABLE For"mi*da*ble, a. Etym: [L. formidabilis, fr. formidare to fear, dread: cf. F. formidable.]

Defn: 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, n.

Defn: The quality of being formidable, or adapted to excite dread. Boyle.

FORMIDABLY For"mi*da*bly, adv.

Defn: In a formidable manner.

FORMIDOLOSE For*mid"o*lose, a. Etym: [L. formidolosus, fr. formido fear.]

Defn: Very much afraid. [Obs.] Bailey.

FORMING Form"ing, n.

Defn: The act or process of giving form or shape to anything; as, in shipbuilding, the exact shaping of partially shaped timbers.

FORMLESS Form"less, a.

Defn: Shapeless; without a determinate form; wanting regularity of shape. -- Form"less*ly, adv. -- Form"less*ness, n.

FORMULA For"mu*la, n.; pl. E. Formulas, L. Formulæ. Etym: [L., dim. of forma form, model. SeeForm, n.]

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.)

Defn: A written confession of faith; a formal statement of foctrines.

3. (Math.)

Defn: A rule or principle expressed in algebraic language; as, the binominal formula.

4. (Med.)

Defn: A prescription or recipe for the preparation of a medicinal compound.

5. (Chem.)

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

Note: 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 (Chem.), an expression which gives the simple proportion of the constituents; as, the empirical formula of acetic acid is C2H4O2. -- Graphic formula, Rational formula (Chem.), 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 CH3.(C:O).OH; -- called also structural formula, constitutional formula, etc. See also the formula of Benzene nucleus, under Benzene. -- Molecular formula (Chem.), a formula indicating the supposed molecular constitution of a compound.

FORMULARISTIC For`mu*la*ris"tic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or exhibiting, formularization. Emerson.

FORMULARIZATION For`mu*lar*i*za"tion, n.

Defn: The act of formularizing; a formularized or formulated statement or exhibition. C. Kingsley.

FORMULARIZE For"mu*lar*ize, v. t.

Defn: To reduce to a forula; to formulate.

FORMULARY For"mu*la*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. formulaire. See Formula.]

Defn: Stated; prescribed; ritual.

FORMULARY For"mu*la*ry, n.; pl. Formularies. Etym: [Cf. F. formulaire.]

1. A book containing stated and prescribed forms, as of oaths, declarations, prayers, medical formulaæ, etc.; a book of precedents.

2. Prescribed form or model; formula.

FORMULATE For"mu*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Formulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Formulating.]

Defn: To reduce to, or express in, a formula; to put in a clear and definite form of statement or expression. G. P. Marsh.

FORMULATION For`mu*la"tion, n.

Defn: The act, process, or result of formulating or reducing to a formula.

FORMULE For"mule, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A set or prescribed model; a formula. [Obs.] Johnson.

FORMULIZATION For`mu*li*za"tion, n.

Defn: The act or process of reducing to a formula; the state of being formulized.

FORMULIZE For"mu*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Formulized; p. pr. & vb. n. Formulizing.]

Defn: To reduce to a formula; to formulate. Emerson.

FORMYL For"myl, n. Etym: [Formic + -yl.] (Chem.) (a) A univalent radical, H.C:O, regarded as the essential residue of formic acid and aldehyde. (b) Formerly, the radical methyl, CH3.

FORNCAST Forn*cast", p. p. Etym: [OE. foren + cast. See Forecast.]

Defn: Predestined. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FORNICAL For"ni*cal, a.

Defn: Relating to a fornix.

FORNICATE; FORNICATED For"ni*cate, For"ni*ca`ted, a. Etym: [L. fornicatus, fr. fornix, - icis, an arch, vault.]

1. Vaulted like an oven or furnace; arched.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Arching over; overarched. Gray.

FORNICATE For"ni*cate, v. i. Etym: [L. fornicatus, p. p. of fornicari to fornicate, fr. fornix, -icis, a vault, a brothel in an underground vault.]

Defn: To commit fornication; to have unlawful sexual intercourse.

FORNICATION For`ni*ca"tion, n. Etym: [F. fornication, L. fornicatio.]

1. Unlawful sexual intercourse on the part of an unmarried person; the act of such illicit sexual intercourse between a man and a woman as does not by law amount to adultery.

Note: In England, the offense, though cognizable in the ecclesiastical courts, was not at common law subject to secular prosecution. In the United States it is indictable in some States at common law, in others only by statute. Whartyon.

2. (Script.) (a) Adultery. (b) Incest. (c) Idolatry.

FORNICATOR For"ni*ca`tor, n. Etym: [F. fornicateur, OF. fornicator, from L. fornicator.]

Defn: An unmarried person, male or female, who has criminal intercourse with the other sex; one guilty of fornication.

FORNICATRESS For"ni*ca`tress, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fornicatrice, L. fornicatrix.]

Defn: A woman guilty of fornication. Shak.

FORNIX For"nix, n.; pl. Fornices. Etym: [L., an arch.] (Anat.) (a) An arch or fold; as, the fornix, or vault, of the cranium; the fornix, or reflection, of the conjuctiva. (b) Esp., two longitudinal bands of white nervous tissue beneath the lateral ventricles of the brain.

FOROLD For*old", a.

Defn: Very old. [Obs.] A bear's skin, coal-black, forold. Chaucer.

FORPASS For*pass", v. t. & i.

Defn: To pass by or along; to pass over. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORPINE For*pine", v. t.

Defn: To waste away completely by suffering or torment. [Archaic] "Pale as a forpined ghost." Chaucer.

FORRAY For"ray ( or ), v. t. Etym: [OE. forrayen. See Foray.]

Defn: To foray; to ravage; to pillage. For they that morn had forrayed all the land. Fairfax.

FORRAY For"ray, n.

Defn: The act of ravaging; a ravaging; a predatory excursion. See Foray.

FORRILL For"rill, n. Etym: [See Forel.]

Defn: Lambskin parchment; vellum; forel. McElrath.

FORSAKE For*sake", v. t. [imp. Forsook; p. p. Forsaken; p. pr. & vb. n. Forsaking.] Etym: [AS. forsacan to oppose, refuse; for- + sacan to contend, strive; akin to Goth. sakan. See For-, and Sake.]

1. To quit or leave entirely; to desert; to abandon; to depart or withdraw from; to leave; as, false friends and flatterers forsake us in adversity. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments. Ps. lxxxix. 30.

2. To renounce; to reject; to refuse. If you forsake the offer of their love. Shak.

Syn. -- To abandon; quit; desert; fail; relinquish; give up; renounce; reject. See Abandon.

FORSAKER For*sak"er, n.

Defn: One who forsakes or deserts.

FORSAY For*say", v. t. Etym: [AS. forsecgan to accuse; pref. for- + secgan to say.]

Defn: To forbid; to renounce; to forsake; to deny. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORSHAPE For*shape", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + shape, v.t.]

Defn: To render misshapen. [Obs.] Gower.

FORSLACK For*slack", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + slack to neglect.]

Defn: To neglect by idleness; to delay or to waste by sloth. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORSLOUTHE For*slouth"e, v. t. Etym: [See For-, and Slouth.]

Defn: To lose by sloth or negligence. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FORSLOW For*slow", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + slow.]

Defn: To delay; to hinder; to neglect; to put off. [Obs.] Bacon.

FORSLOW For*slow", v. i.

Defn: To loiter. [Obs.] Shak.

FORSLUGGE For*slug"ge, v. t. Etym: [See Slug to be idle.]

Defn: To lsoe by idleness or slotch. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FORSOOTH For*sooth", adv. Etym: [AS. forso\'eb; for, prep. + so\'eb sooth, truth. See For, prep., and Sooth.]

Defn: In truth; in fact; certainly; very well; -- formerly used as an expression of deference or respect, especially to woman; now used ironically or contemptuously. A fit man, forsooth, to govern a realm! Hayward. Our old English word forsooth has been changed for the French madam. Guardian.

FORSOOTH For*sooth", v. t.

Defn: To address respectfully with the term forsooth. [Obs.] The captain of the "Charles" had forsoothed her, though he knew her well enough and she him. Pepys.

FORSOOTH For*sooth", n.

Defn: A person who used forsooth much; a very ceremonious and deferential person. [R.] You sip so like a forsooth of the city. B. Jonson.

FORSPEAK For*speak", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + speak.]

1. To forbid; to prohibit. Shak.

2. To bewitch. [Obs.] Drayton.

FORSPENT For*spent", a. Etym: [AS. forspendan to consume; pref. for- + spendan to spend.]

Defn: Wasted in strength; tired; exhausted. [Archaic] A gentleman almost forspent with speed. Shak.

FORSTALL For*stall", v. t.

Defn: To forestall. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORSTER Fors"ter, n.

Defn: A forester. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FORSTRAUGHT For*straught", p. p. & a. Etym: [Pref. for- + straught; cf. distraught.]

Defn: Distracted. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FORSWAT For*swat", a. Etym: [See Sweat.]

Defn: Spent with heat; covered with sweat. [Obs.] P. Sidney.

FORSWEAR For*swear", v. t. [imp. Forswore; p. p. Forsworn; p. pr. & vb. n. Forswearing.] Etym: [OE. forsweren, forswerien, AS. forswerian; pref. for- + swerian to swear. See For-, and Swear, v. i.]

1. To reject or renounce upon oath; hence, to renounce earnestly, determinedly, or with protestations. I . . . do forswear her. Shak.

2. To deny upon oath. Like innocence, and as serenely bold As truth, how loudly he forswears thy gold! Dryden. To forswear one's self, to swear falsely; to peforswear thyself."

Syn. -- See Perjure.

FORSWEAR For*swear", v. i.

Defn: To swear falsely; to commit perjury. Shak.

FORSWEARER For*swear"er, n.

Defn: One who rejects of renounces upon oath; one who swears a false oath.

FORSWONK For*swonk", a. Etym: [Pref. for- + swonk, p.p. of swinkto labor. See Swink.]

Defn: Overlabored; exhausted; worn out. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORSWORE For*swore",

Defn: imp. of Forswear.

FORSWORN For*sworn",

Defn: p. p. of Forswear.

FORSWORNNESS For*sworn"ness, n.

Defn: State of being forsworn. [R.]

FORSYTHIA For*syth"i*a, a. Etym: [NL. Named after William Forsyth, who brought in from China.] (Bot.)

Defn: A shrub of the Olive family, with yellow blossoms.

FORT Fort, n. Etym: [F., from fort strong, L. fortis; perh. akin to Skr. darh to fix, make firm, and to E. firm Cf. Forte, Force, Fortalice, Comfort, Effort.] (Mil.)

Defn: A strong or fortified place; usually, a small fortified place, occupied only by troops, surrounded with a ditch, rampart, and parapet, or with palisades, stockades, or other means of defense; a fortification. Detached works, depending solely on their own strength, belong to the class of works termed forts. Farrow.

FORTALICE Fort"a*lice, n. Etym: [LL. fortalitia, or OF. fortelesce. See Fortress.] (Mil.)

Defn: A small outwork of a fortification; a fortilage; -- called also fortelace.

FORTE Forte (fort), n. Etym: [IT. forte: cf. F. fort. See Fort.]

1. The strong point; that in which one excels. fort"a The construction of a fable seems by no means the forte of our modern poetical writers. Jeffrey.

2. The stronger part of the blade of a sword; the part of half nearest the hilt; -- opposed to foible.

FORTE For"te (fôr"tay or for"tay), adv. Etym: [It. forte, a. & adv., fr. L. fortis strong.] (Mus.)

Defn: Loudly; strongly; powerfully.

FORTED Fort"ed, a.

Defn: Furnished with, or guarded by, forts; strengthened or defended, as by forts. [R.] Shak.

FORTH Forth, v.Etym: [AS. foredh, fr. for akin to D. voort, G. fort sq. root78. See Fore, For, and cf. Afford, Further, adv.]

1. Forward; onward in time, place, or order; in advance from a given point; on to end; as, from that day forth; one, two, three, and so forth. Lucas was Paul's companion, at the leastway from the sixteenth of the Acts forth. Tyndale. From this time forth, I never will speak word. Shak. I repeated the Ave Maria; the inquisitor bad me say forth; I said I was taught no more. Strype.

2. Out, as from a state of concealment, retirement, confinement, nondevelopment, or the like; out into notice or view; as, the plants in spring put forth leaves. When winter past, and summer scarce begun, Invites them forth to labor in the sun. Dryden.

3. Beyond a (certain) boundary; away; abroad; out. I have no mind of feasting forth to-night. Shak.

4. Throughly; from beginning to end. [Obs.] Shak. And so forth, Back and forth, From forth. See under And, Back, and From. -- Forth of, Forth from, out of [Obs.] Shak. -- To bring forth. See under Bring.

FORTH Forth, prep.

Defn: Forth from; out of. [Archaic] Some forth their cabins peep. Donne.

FORTH Forth, n. Etym: [OE., a ford. Frith.]

Defn: A way; a passage or ford. [Obs.] Todd.

FORTHBY Forth`by", adv. [Obs.]

Defn: See Forby.

FORTHCOMING Forth"com`ing ( or ), a.

Defn: Ready or about to appear; making appearance.

FORTHGOING Forth"go`ing ( or ), n.

Defn: A going forth; an utterance. A. Chalmers.

FORTHGOING Forth"go`ing, a.

Defn: Going forth.

FORTHINK For*think", v. t.

Defn: To repent; to regret; to be sorry for; to cause regret. [Obs.] "Let it forthink you." Tyndale. That me forthinketh, quod this January. Chaucer.

FORTHPUTING Forth"put`ing ( or ), a.

Defn: Bold; forward; aggressive.

FORTHRIGHT Forth"right` ( or ), adv. Etym: [Forth, adv. + right, adv.]

Defn: Straight forward; in a straight direction. [Archaic] Sir P. Sidney.

FORTHRIGHT Forth"right`, a.

Defn: Direct; straightforward; as, a forthright man. [Archaic] Lowell. They were Night and Day, and Day and Night, Piligrims wight with steps forthright. Emerson.

FORTHRIGHT Forth"right`, n.

Defn: A straight path. [Archaic] Here's a maze trod, indeed, Through forthrights and meanders! Shak.

FORTHRIGHTNESS Forth"right`ness, n.

Defn: Straightforwardness; explicitness; directness. [Archaic] Dante's concise forthrightness of phrase. Hawthorne.

FORTHWARD Forth"ward, adv. Etym: [Forth, adv. + -ward.]

Defn: Forward. [Obs.] Bp. Fisher.

FORTHWITH Forth`with" ( or ; see With), adv.

1. Immediately; without delay; directly. Immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight forthwith. Acts ix. 18.

2. (Law)

Defn: As soon as the thing required may be done by reasonable exertion confined to that object. Bouvier.

FORTHY For*thy", adv. Etym: [AS. foredhy; for, prep. + edhy, instrumental neut. of se, seó, edhæt, pron. demonstrative and article. See The.]

Defn: Therefore. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORTIES For"ties, n. pl.

Defn: See Forty.

FORTIETH For"ti*eth, a. Etym: [AS. feówertigo. See Forty.]

1. Following the thirty-ninth, or preceded by thirty-nine units, things, or parts.

2. Constituting one of forty equal parts into which anything is divided.

FORTIETH For"ti*eth, n.

Defn: One of forty equal parts into which one whole is divided; the quotient of a unit divided by forty; one next in order after the thirty-ninth.

FORTIFIABLE For"ti*fi`a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. fortifiable.]

Defn: Capable of being fortified. Johnson.

FORTIFICATION For`ti*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. fortificatio : cf. F. fortification.]

1. The act of fortifying; the art or science of fortifying places in order to defend them against an enemy.

2. That which fortifies; especially, a work or works erected to defend a place against attack; a fortified place; a fortress; a fort; a castle. Fortification agate, Scotch pebble.

Syn. -- Fortress; citadel; bulwark. See Fortress.

FORTIFIER For"ti*fi`er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, fortifies, strengthens, supports, or upholds.

FORTIFY For"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fortified; p. pr. & vb. n. Fortifying.] Etym: [F. fortifier, L. fortificare; fortis strong + - ficare (in comp.) to make. See Fort, and -fy.]

1. To add strength to; to strengthen; to confirm; to furnish with power to resist attack. Timidity was fortified by pride. Gibbon. Pride came to the aid of fancy, and both combined to fortify his resolution. Sir W. Scott.

2. To strengthen and secure by forts or batteries, or by surrounding with a wall or ditch or other military works; to render defensible against an attack by hostile forces.

FORTIFY For"ti*fy, v. i.

Defn: To raise defensive works. Milton.

FORTILAGE For"ti*lage (; 48), n. Etym: [Cf. Fortalice.]

Defn: A little fort; a blockhouse. [Obs.] Spenser.

FORTIN Fort"in, n. Etym: [F. See Fort, n.]

Defn: A little fort; a fortlet. [Obs.]

FORTISSIMO For*tis"si*mo ( or ), adv. Etym: [It., superl. of forte, adv. See Forte, adv.] (Mus.)

Defn: Very loud; with the utmost strength or loudness.

FORTITION For*ti"tion, n. Etym: [See Fortuitous.]

Defn: Casual choice; fortuitous selection; hazard. [R.] No mode of election operating in the spirit of fortition or rotation can be generally good. Burke.

FORTITUDE For"ti*tude, n. Etym: [L. fortitudo, fr. fortis strong. See Fort.]

1. Power to resist attack; strength; firmness. [Obs.] The fortitude of the place is best known to you. Shak.

2. That strength or firmness of mind which enables a person to encounter danger with coolness and courage, or to bear pain or adversity without murmuring, depression, or despondency; passive courage; resolute endurance; firmness in confronting or bearing up against danger or enduring trouble. Extolling patience as the truest fortitude. Milton. Fortitude is the guard and support of the other virtues. Locke.

Syn. -- Courage; resolution; resoluteness; endurance; bravery. See Courage, and Heroism.

FORTITUDINOUS For`ti*tu"di*nous, a.

Defn: Having fortitude; courageous. [R.] Gibbon.

FORTLET Fort"let, n.

Defn: A little fort. [R.] Bailey.