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forte - 8 dictionary results

forte

1[fawrt, fohrt or, for 1, fawr-tey]
–noun
1. a strong point, as of a person; that in which one excels: I don't know what her forte is, but it's not music.
2. the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt (opposed to foible ).

Origin:
1640–50; earlier fort < MF (see fort ); disyllabic pron. by assoc. with forte 2


1. talent, skill, excellence, strength, specialty; knack, bent.


In the sense of a person's strong point (He draws well, but sculpture is his forte), the older and historical pronunciation of forte is the one-syllable[fawrt] or[fohrt]. The word is derived from the French word fort "strong." A two-syllable pronunciation[fawr-tey] is increasingly heard, especially from younger educated speakers, perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, pronounced in English as[fawr-tey] and in Italian as[fawr-te]. Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.

for⋅te

2[fawr-tey; It. fawr-te] Music.
–adjective
1. (a direction) loud; with force (opposed to piano ).
–adverb
2. (a direction) loudly.
–noun
3. a passage that is loud and forcible, or is intended to be so.

Origin:
1715–25; < It < L fortis strong
for·te 1   (fôr'tā', fôrt, fōrt)   
n.  
  1. Something in which a person excels.
  2. The strong part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt.

[French fort, from Old French, strong, from Latin fortis; see fort.]
Synonyms: These nouns denote something at which a person is particularly skilled: Writing fiction is her forte. The theater is his métier. The professor's specialty was the study of ancient languages. Mountain climbing is really my thing.

Usage Note: The word forte, coming from French fort, should properly be pronounced with one syllable, like the English word fort. Common usage, however, prefers the two-syllable pronunciation, (fôr'tā'), which has been influenced possibly by the music term forte borrowed from Italian. In a recent survey a strong majority of the Usage Panel, 74 percent, preferred the two-syllable pronunciation. The result is a delicate situation; speakers who are aware of the origin of the word may wish to continue to pronounce it as one syllable but at an increasing risk of puzzling their listeners.
for·te 2   (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.]

Forte

Forte\ (f[=o]rt), n. [IT. forte: cf. F. fort. See Fort.]

1. The strong point; that in which one excels.

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\ (f[^o]r"t[asl] or f[=o]r"t[asl]), adv. [It. forte, a. & adv., fr. L. fortis strong.] (Mus.) Loudly; strongly; powerfully.
Language Translation for : forte
Spanish: en voz alta,
German: laut,
Japanese: 声に出して

forte [(fawr-tay)]

A musical direction meaning “to be performed loudly”; the opposite of piano.

Note: The common keyboard instrument the pianoforte (“piano” for short) got its name because it could play both soft and loud notes.

forte 
1648, from Fr. fort "strong point (of a sword blade)," also "fort," from M.Fr. fort (see fort); final -e- added 18c. in imitation of It. forte "strong." Meaning "strong point of a person" is from 1682.
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