Related Searches
on Ask.com
Browse Nearby Entries
former
8 dictionary results for: former
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
for·mer1 
[fawr-mer] Pronunciation Key
[fawr-mer] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | preceding in time; prior or earlier: during a former stage in the proceedings. |
| 2. | past, long past, or ancient: in former times. |
| 3. | preceding in order; being the first of two: Our former manufacturing process was too costly. |
| 4. | being the first mentioned of two (distinguished from latter): The former suggestion was preferred to the latter. |
| 5. | having once, or previously, been; erstwhile: a former president. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
form·er2
[fawr-mer] Pronunciation Key
[fawr-mer] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | a person or thing that forms or serves to form. |
| 2. | a pupil in a particular form or grade, esp. in a British secondary school: fifth formers. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| form·er 1
(fôr'mər) Pronunciation Key
n.
|
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| for·mer 2
(fôr'mər) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[Middle English, comparative of forme, first, from Old English forma; see per1 in Indo-European roots.] Usage Note: Grammarians have often insisted that the phrases the former and the latter should be used only to refer to the first of two things and the second of two things, respectively, as in Ernest L. Thayer's "Casey at the Bat": "But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, and the former was a lulu and the latter was a fake." It is easy to find violations of this rule in the works of good writers; nonetheless, many readers feel uneasy when the words are used in enumerations of more than two things, just as they would feel uneasy over the similar incorrect use of a comparative in a sentence such as Her boys are 7, 9, and 13; only the younger was born in California. |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
former
former
"earlier in time," c.1160, comparative of forme "first," patterned on formest "foremost" (see foremost). An unusual case of a comparative formed from a superlative (the -m- is a superlative element; the word was formed on the analogy of foremost).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| former | |
adjective | |
| 1. | referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several); "the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one" [ant: latter] |
| 2. | belonging to some prior time; "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover" [syn: erstwhile] |
| 3. | (used especially of persons) of the immediate past; "the former president"; "our late President is still very active"; "the previous occupant of the White House" |
| 4. | belonging to the distant past; "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times" [syn: early] |
noun | |
| 1. | the first of two or the first mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today" [ant: latter] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Former
For"mer\, a. [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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Share This:
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.