former - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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

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.

former (not comparable)

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.
   • 2024 May 30, Sarah Dean and David McKenzie, “First results in South Africa’s election suggest it is heading for biggest political shift since apartheid”, in CNN‎[1]:
     Another ANC splinter party, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), led by former President Jacob Zuma appears to be on course to do well in KwaZulu-Natal, the eastern coastal province where Durban is located.
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.

• fmr, fmr. (abbreviation)

• formerly

• formerness

• former Soviet Union

• former times

• former USSR

• former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

• shadow of one's former self

previous

• Arabic: سَابِق (sābiq)
• Belarusian: былы́ (bylý), бы́ўшы (býwšy)
• Bengali: সাবেক (bn) (śabek), প্রাক্তন (bn) (prakton), ভূতপূর্ব (bn) (bhutopurbo), পূর্বতন (bn) (purboton)
• Bulgarian: бивш (bg) (bivš), ми́нал (bg) (mínal), преди́шен (bg) (predíšen)
• Catalan: anterior (ca), previ (ca)
• Chinese:
  Mandarin: 前 (zh) (qián)
• Czech: bývalý (cs)
• Danish: tidligere (da), forhenværende
• Dutch: voormalig (nl), gewezen (nl)
• Esperanto: antaŭa
• Faroese: fyrrverandi
• Finnish: edeltävä (fi), edellinen (fi), entinen (fi)
• French: précédent (fr), ancien (fr)
• Galician: anterior (gl)
• Georgian: წინანდელი (c̣inandeli), უწინდელი (uc̣indeli)
• German: ehemalig (de), vorig (de), früher (de), vorherig (de), vormalig (de), alt (de)
• Greek: πρώην (el) (próin)
  Ancient Greek: πρότερος (próteros)
• Higaonon: daan
• Hindi: पूर्ववर्ती (hi) (pūrvavartī), पिछला (hi) (pichlā)
• Hungarian: előző (hu), előbbi (hu), korábbi (hu), egykori (hu), hajdani (hu)
• Indonesian: mantan (id)
• Italian: precedente (it), anteriore (it), ex (it)
• Japanese: 前 (ja) (まえ, mae)
• Khmer: អតីត (km) (ʼaʼdət)
• Korean: 전의 (ko) (jeon-ui)
• Kurdish:
  Central Kurdish: پێشوو (pêşû), بەرتر (bertir)
• Latin: anterior, quondam
• Macedonian: претходен (prethoden), бивш (bivš)
• Malay: bekas (ms), mantan (ms)
• Manchu: ᠨᡝᠨᡝᡥᡝ (nenehe), ᠨᡝᠨᡝᠮᡝ (neneme)
• Māori: o mua
• Norwegian:
  Bokmål: forhenværende (no), tidligere (no)
  Nynorsk: førverande, tidlegare
• Occitan: anterior (oc)
• Pashto: پخوانی (ps) (pëxwânay)
• Persian: سابق (fa) (sâbeq), قدیم (fa) (qadim), اسبق (fa) (asbaq)
• Polish: były (pl)
• Portuguese: anterior (pt), ex- (pt)
• Russian: бы́вший (ru) (bývšij), пре́жний (ru) (préžnij), предыду́щий (ru) (predydúščij) (previous)
• Scots: umwhile
• Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: пре́тходан, би̑вшӣ
  Latin: préthodan (sh), bȋvšī (sh)
• Slovak: bývalý
• Slovene: prejšnji, bivši
• Spanish: anterior (es), antiguo (es)
• Swedish: före detta (sv), forna (sv), förra (sv)
• Tajik: пешина (pešina)
• Telugu: ముందరి (te) (mundari), మునుపటి (te) (munupaṭi)
• Thai: เก่า (th) (gào), ก่อน (th) (gɔ̀ɔn), อดีต (th) (à-dìit)
• Turkish: önce (tr), önceki (tr), eski (tr)
• Ukrainian: коли́шній (uk) (kolýšnij)
• Uzbek: sobiq (uz)
• Vietnamese: cũ (vi), xưa (vi), nguyên (vi) (when modifying a social or political position), cựu (vi)

first of aforementioned two items

• Belarusian: пе́ршы (be) (pjéršy)

• Bulgarian: преди́шен (bg) (predíšen), пръв (bg) (prǎv)

• Chinese:
  Mandarin: 前者 (zh) (qiánzhě)

• Dutch: deze (nl), eerstgenoemde (nl)

• Finnish: ensimmäinen (fi)

• French: premier (fr), celui-là (fr)

• German: ersterer (de) m, erstere (de) f, ersteres (de) n

• Hindi: पूर्ववर्ती (hi) (pūrvavartī), पहला (hi) (pahlā)

• Hungarian: előbbi (hu)

• Indonesian: terdahulu (id)

• Italian: primo (it) m

• Japanese: 前者 (ja) (ぜんしゃ, zensha)

• Korean: 전자(前者) (ko) (jeonja)

• Norwegian:
  Bokmål: førstnevnt

• Persian: اولی (fa) (avvali)

• Polish: pierwszy (pl) (z dwóch)

• Portuguese: primeiro (pt), aquele (pt) m

• Russian: пе́рвый (ru) (pérvyj)

• Slovene: prvi (sl)

• Spanish: primero (es) m, primera (es) f, aquello (es) m, aquella (es) f, aquel (es) n

• Swedish: föregående (sv)

• Thai: ก่อนหน้า

• Turkish: ilk (tr)

• Ukrainian: пе́рший (uk) (péršyj)

• Vietnamese: trước (vi)

• ex-

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

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.

• beamformer

• glassformer

• metalformer

• opinion former

• pan former

• sixth-former

• sporeformer

• T-former

• t-former

• Reform, re-form, reform

• IPA(key): [ˈfɒːmɐ]

former c

1. indefinite plural of form

• IPA(key): [ˈfɒːmɐ]

former

1. present of forme

• IPA(key): [fʌˈmeɐ̯ˀ]

former or formér

1. imperative of formere

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

• IPA(key): /fɔʁ.me/

former

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

• formation
• forme
• Haitian Creole: fòme
• “former”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

fōrmer

1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of fōrmō

former m or f

1. indefinite plural of form

former

1. present of forme

former f

1. indefinite plural of form

former

1. indefinite plural of form

• reform