f

- 49 dictionary results

F, f

[ef]

–noun, plural F's or Fs, f's or fs.

1.	the sixth letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.

2.	any spoken sound represented by the letter F or f, as in fat, differ, or huff.

3.	something having the shape of an F.

4.	a written or printed representation of the letter F or f.

5.	a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter F or f.

F

1.	Fahrenheit.

female.

3.	Genetics. filial.

firm.

5.	franc; francs.

French.

F

Symbol.

1.	the sixth in order or in a series.

2.	(sometimes lowercase) (in some grading systems) a grade or mark that indicates academic work of the lowest quality; failure.

Music.

a.	the fourth tone in the scale of C major or the sixth tone in the relative minor scale, A minor.

b.	a string, key, or pipe tuned to this tone.

c.	a written or printed note representing this tone.

d.	(in the fixed system of solmization) the fourth tone of the scale of C major, called fa.

e.	the tonality having F as the tonic note.

4.	(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 40. Compare Roman numerals.

Mathematics.

field.

b.	function (of).

6.	(sometimes lowercase) Electricity. farad.

7.	Chemistry. fluorine.

(sometimes lowercase

) Physics.

force.

b.	frequency.

fermi.

9.	Biochemistry. phenylalanine.

f

firm.

2.	Photography. f-number.

3.	Music. forte.

f

Symbol, Optics. focal length.

F-

Military.

(in designations of aircraft) fighter: F-105.

F.

1.	Fahrenheit.

February.

Fellow.

forint.

5.	franc; francs.

France.

French.

Friday.

f.

1.	(in prescriptions) make. Origin: < L fac

farad.

farthing.

father.

fathom.

feet.

female.

feminine.

9.	(in prescriptions) let them be made. Origin: < L fīant

10.	(in prescriptions) fiat.

11.

filly.

12.

fine.

13.	fluid (ounce).

14.

folio.

15.	following.

16.

foot.

17.

form.

18.	formed of.

19.

franc.

20.

from.

21.	Mathematics. function (of).

22.	(in the Netherlands) guilder; guilders.

f/

Photography.

f-number.

Also, f/, f:

foot

[foo

noun, plural feet for 1–4, 8–11, 16, 19, 21; foots for 20; verb

–noun

1.	(in vertebrates) the terminal part of the leg, below the ankle joint, on which the body stands and moves.

2.	(in invertebrates) any part similar in position or function.

3.	such a part considered as the organ of locomotion.

4.	a unit of length, originally derived from the length of the human foot. It is divided into 12 inches and equal to 30.48 centimeters. Abbreviation: ft., f.

5.	foot soldiers; infantry.

6.	walking or running motion; pace: swift of foot.

7.	quality or character of movement or motion; tread; step.

8.	any part or thing resembling a foot, as in function, placement, shape, etc.

Furniture.

a.	a shaped or ornamented feature terminating a leg at its lower part.

b.	any of several short legs supporting a central shaft, as of a pedestal table.

10.	a rim, flange, or flaring part, often distinctively treated, serving as a base for a table furnishing or utensil, as a glass, teapot, or candlestick.

11.	the part of a stocking, sock, etc., covering the foot.

12.	the lowest part, or bottom, of anything, as of a hill, ladder, page, etc.

13.	a supporting part; base.

14.	the part of anything opposite the top or head: He waited patiently at the foot of the checkout line.

15.	the end of a bed, grave, etc., toward which the feet are placed: Put the blanket at the foot of the bed, please.

16.	Printing. the part of the type body that forms the sides of the groove, at the base.

17.	the last, as of a series.

18.	that which is written at the bottom, as the total of an account.

19.	Prosody. a group of syllables constituting a metrical unit of a verse.

20.

Usually, foots.

a.	sediment or dregs.

b.	footlights.

21.	Nautical. the lower edge of a sail.

–verb (used without object)

22.	to walk; go on foot (often fol. by it): We'll have to foot it.

23.	to move the feet rhythmically, as to music or in dance (often fol. by it).

24.	(of vessels) to move forward; sail: to foot briskly across the open water.

–verb (used with object)

25.	to walk or dance on: footing the cobblestones of the old city.

26.	to perform (a dance): cavaliers footing a galliard.

27.	to traverse on or as if on foot.

28.	to make or attach a foot to: to foot a stocking.

29.	to pay or settle: I always end up footing the bill.

30.	to add (a column of figures) and set the sum at the foot (often fol. by up).

31.	to seize with talons, as a hawk.

32.	to establish.

33.	Archaic. to kick, esp. to kick away.

34.	Obsolete. to set foot on.

—Idioms

35.	get or have a or one's foot in the door, to succeed in achieving an initial stage or step.

36.	get off on the right or wrong foot, to begin favorably or unfavorably: He got off on the wrong foot with a tactless remark about his audience.

37.	have one foot in the grave. grave ¹ (def. 5).

38.	on foot, by walking or running, rather than by riding.

39.

put one's best foot forward,

a.	to attempt to make as good an impression as possible.

b.	to proceed with all possible haste; hurry.

40.	put one's foot down, to take a firm stand; be decisive or determined.

41.	put one's foot in it or into it, Informal. to make an embarrassing blunder. Also, put one's foot in or into one's mouth.

42.	set foot on or in, to go on or into; enter: Don't set foot in this office again!

43.	under foot, in the way: That cat is always under foot when I'm getting dinner.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE fōt; c. G Fuss; akin to L pēs (s. ped-), Gk poús (s. pod-)

for⋅int

[fawr-int]

–noun

an aluminum coin and the monetary unit of Hungary, equal to 100 fillér. Abbreviation: F., Ft.

Origin:
1945–50; < Hungarian < It fiorino. See florin

franc

[frangk; Fr. frahn]

–noun, plural francs [frangks; Fr. frahn]

1.	an aluminum or nickel coin and monetary unit of France, equal to 100 centimes. Abbreviation: F., f., Fr, fr.

2.	any of the monetary units of various other nations and territories, as Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Martinique, Senegal, Switzerland, and Tahiti, equal to 100 centimes.

3.	a former silver coin of France, first issued under Henry III.

4.	a former monetary unit of Algeria, Guinea, and Morocco.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME frank < OF franc, so called because the coin was first inscribed with the name of the king as ML Rēx Francōrum King of the Franks

French

[french]

–adjective

1.	of, pertaining to, or characteristic of France, its inhabitants, or their language, culture, etc.: French cooking.

–noun

2.	the people of France and their direct descendants.

3.	a Romance language spoken in France, parts of Belgium and Switzerland, and in areas colonized after 1500 by France. Abbreviation: F

–verb (used with object)

4.	(often lowercase) to prepare (food) according to a French method.

5.	(often lowercase) to cut (snap beans) into slivers or thin strips before cooking.

6.	(often lowercase) to trim the meat from the end of (a rib chop).

7.	(often lowercase) to prepare (meat) for cooking by slicing it into strips and pounding.

8.	Slang. to short-sheet (a bed).

9.	(often lowercase) Slang: Vulgar. to give oral stimulation of the penis or vulva.

Origin:
bef. 1150; ME Frensh, French, OE Frenc(i)sc. See Frank, -ish ¹

Related forms:

Frenchness, noun

guil⋅der

[gil-der]

–noun

1.	a silver or nickel coin and monetary unit of the Netherlands, equal to 100 cents; florin. Abbreviation: Gld.,f.,fl.

2.	a former gold coin of the Netherlands; florin.

3.	the monetary unit of the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname, equal to 100 cents.

4.	the Austrian florin.

5.	any of various gold coins formerly issued by German states.

Also, gilder.

Also called gulden.

Origin:
1425–75; late ME gilder, guldren, with intrusive r < MD gulden gulden

Wein⋅gart⋅ner

[vahyn-gahrt-nuh

–noun

(Paul) Fe⋅lix (Ed⋅ler von Münz⋅berg) [poul fey-liks eyd-luh

r fuh

n mynts-berk]

, 1863–1942, Austrian composer, conductor, and writer.

Link To f

f¹ or F (ěf)

n. pl. f's or F's also fs or Fs

The sixth letter of the modern English alphabet.
Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter f.
The sixth in a series.
Something shaped like the letter F.
F A grade that indicates failing status.
Music
1. The fourth tone in the scale of C major or the sixth tone in the relative minor scale.
2. A key or scale in which F is the tonic.
3. A written or printed note representing this tone.
4. A string, key, or pipe tuned to the pitch of this tone.

f²
abbr.

Grammar feminine
focal length
forte
function

F¹
The symbol for the element fluorine.

F²
abbr.

Fahrenheit
fail
farad
female
Genetics filial generation
foul
franc
Friday

Fahr·en·heit (fār'ən-hīt')

adj. Abbr. F
Of or relating to a temperature scale that registers the freezing point of water as 32° and the boiling point as 212° at one atmosphere of pressure. See Table at measurement.

[After Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit.]

far·ad (fār'əd, -ād')

n. Abbr. F
The unit of capacitance in the meter-kilogram-second system equal to the capacitance of a capacitor having an equal and opposite charge of 1 coulomb on each plate and a potential difference of 1 volt between the plates. See Table at measurement.

[After Michael Faraday.]

fluor·ine (flŏŏr'ēn', -ĭn, flôr'-, flōr'-)

n. Symbol F
A pale-yellow, highly corrosive, poisonous, gaseous halogen element, the most electronegative and most reactive of all the elements, used in a wide variety of industrially important compounds. Atomic number 9; atomic weight 18.9984; freezing point -219.62°C; melting point -223°C; boiling point -188.14°C; specific gravity of liquid 1.108 (at boiling point); valence 1. See Table at element.

focal length
n. Abbr. f
The distance from the surface of a lens or mirror to its focal point. Also called focal distance, focus.

for·te² (fôr'tā')

adv. & adj. Abbr. f
In a loud, forceful manner. Used chiefly as a direction.
n. A note, passage, or chord played forte.

[Italian, strong, forte, from Latin fortis; see bhergh-² in Indo-European roots.]

foul (foul)

adj. foul·er, foul·est

Offensive to the senses; revolting.
Having an offensive odor; smelly.
Rotten or putrid: foul meat.
1. Full of dirt or mud; dirty. See Synonyms at dirty.
2. Full of impurities; polluted: foul air.
3. Sports Contrary to the rules of a game or sport: a foul boxing punch.
4. Baseball Outside the foul lines: a foul fly ball.
Morally detestable; wicked: foul deeds.
Of a vulgar or obscene nature: foul language.
Very disagreeable or displeasing; horrid: a foul movie.
Bad or unfavorable: in fair weather or foul.
Violating accepted standards or rules; dishonorable: used foul means to gain power.
1. Sports Contrary to the rules of a game or sport: a foul boxing punch.
2. Baseball Outside the foul lines: a foul fly ball.
Entangled or twisted: a foul anchor.
Clogged or obstructed; blocked: a foul ventilator shaft.
Archaic Ugly; unattractive.

Abbr. F
1. Sports An infraction or a violation of the rules of play.
2. Baseball A foul ball.
An entanglement or a collision.
An instance of clogging or obstructing.

adv.  In a foul manner.
v.   fouled, foul·ing, fouls

v.   tr.

To make dirty or foul; pollute. See Synonyms at contaminate.
To bring into dishonor; besmirch.
To clog or obstruct.
To entangle or catch (a rope, for example).
Nautical To encrust (a ship's hull) with foreign matter, such as barnacles.
1. Sports To commit a foul against.
2. Baseball To hit (a ball) outside the foul lines.

v. intr.

To become foul.
1. Sports To commit a foul.
2. Baseball To hit a ball outside the foul lines: fouled twice and then struck out; fouled out to the catcher.
To become entangled or twisted: The anchor line fouled on a rock.
To become clogged or obstructed.

Phrasal Verb(s):
foul outSports To be put out of a game for exceeding the number of permissible fouls.
foul upTo blunder or cause to blunder because of mistakes or poor judgment.

[Middle English, from Old English fūl; see p- in Indo-European roots.]
foul'ly adv., foul'ness n.

franc (frāngk)

n. Abbr. F or fr.

See Table at currency.
The primary unit of currency in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Monaco before the adoption of the euro.

[Middle English frank, French gold coin, from Old French franc, from Medieval Latin Francōrum (rēx), (king) of the Franks (from the legend on the first of these coins), genitive pl. of Francus, Frank; see Frank.]

Fri·day (frī'dē, -dā')

n. Abbr. Fri. or Fr. or F
The sixth day of the week.

[Middle English Fridai, from Old English Frīgedæg; see prī- in Indo-European roots.]
Fri'days adv.

func·tion (fŭngk'shən)

The action for which a person or thing is particularly fitted or employed.
1. Assigned duty or activity.
2. A specific occupation or role: in my function as chief editor.
3. A variable so related to another that for each value assumed by one there is a value determined for the other.
4. A rule of correspondence between two sets such that there is a unique element in the second set assigned to each element in the first set.
An official ceremony or a formal social occasion.
Something closely related to another thing and dependent on it for its existence, value, or significance: Growth is a function of nutrition.
Abbr. f Mathematics
1. A variable so related to another that for each value assumed by one there is a value determined for the other.
2. A rule of correspondence between two sets such that there is a unique element in the second set assigned to each element in the first set.
Biology The physiological activity of an organ or body part.
Chemistry The characteristic behavior of a chemical compound, resulting from the presence of a specific functional group.
Computer Science A procedure within an application.

intr.v. func·tioned, func·tion·ing, func·tions
To have or perform a function; serve: functioned as ambassador.

[Latin fūnctiō, fūnctiōn-, performance, execution, from fūnctus, past participle of fungī, to perform, execute.]
func'tion·less adj.

Synonyms: These nouns denote the actions and activities assigned to, required of, or expected of a person: the function of a teacher; a bank clerk's duty; assumed the office of financial adviser; the role of a parent.

Slang Dictionary

French

n.
an act of oral sex. (Usually objectionable.) : How much is a French at a cathouse like that?
mod.
referring to oral sex. (Usually objectionable.) : He tried some French stuff on her, and she nearly killed him.
tv.
to perform oral sex on someone. (Usually objectionable.) : He wanted her to French him.
tv. & in.
to kiss someone using the tongue; to French kiss. : We were French kissing when the teacher came in.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

Word Origin & History

foot

O.E. fot, from P.Gmc. *fot (cf. O.N. fotr, Du. voet, Ger. Fuß, Goth. fotus "foot"), from PIE *pod-/*ped- (cf. Avestan pad-; Skt. pat, acc. padam "foot;" Gk. pos, Attic pous, gen. podos; L. pes, gen. pedis "foot;" Lith. padas "sole," peda "footstep"). Plural form feet is an instance of i-mutation. Of a bed, grave, etc., first recorded 1300. The linear measurement of 12 inches is first recorded in O.E., from the length of a man's foot. To foot a bill is attested from 1848, from the process of tallying the expenses and writing the figure at the bottom ("foot") of the bill. Theatrical footlights is first attested 1836; footnote is from 1841. Colloquial exclamation my foot! expressing "contemptuous contradiction" is first attested 1923, probably a euphemism for my ass, in the same sense, which dates back to 1796. The metrical foot (O.E., translating L. pes, Gk. pous in the same sense) is commonly taken as a reference to keeping time by tapping the foot. To get off on the right foot is from 1909; to put one's best foot foremost first recorded 1849.

franc

c.1386, from M.L. Francorum Rex "King of the Franks," inscribed on gold coins first made during the reign of Jean le Bon (1350-64).

French

O.E. frencisc "of the Franks" (see frank). Euphemistic meaning "bad language" (pardon my French) is from 1895. Used in many combination-words, often dealing with food or sex. French fries is 1918 Amer.Eng., from French fried potatoes (1894, first attested in O.Henry); French dressing first recorded 1900; French toast is from 1660. French letter "condom" (c.1856), French (v.) "perform oral sex on" (c.1917) and French kiss (1923) all probably stem from the Anglo-Saxon equation of Gallic culture and sexual sophistication, a sense first recorded 1749 in French novel. To take French leave, "depart without telling the host," is 1771, from a social custom then prevalent. However, in France this is said to be called filer à l'anglaise, lit. "to take English leave."

guilder

Du. coin, c.1481, from Du. gulden, lit. "golden."

Financial Dictionary

F

A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that the stock is a foreign company.

Investopedia Commentary

Nasdaq-listed securities have four or five characters. If a fifth letter appears, it identifies the issue as other than a single issue of common stock or capital stock.