*forma*

n. (Linguistics) 1. a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it, such as emote from emotion. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. the process of inventing a back-formation{ 1 }. [ PJC ]

n. 1. The state of being conformable. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geol.) The parallelism of two sets of strata which are in contact. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Corresponding in form, character, opinions, etc.; similar; like; consistent; proper or suitable; -- usually followed by to. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fragments of Sappho give us a taste of her way of writing perfectly conformable with that character. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have been to you a true and humble wife, at all times to your will conformable Shakespeare

Conformable to Scripture as well as to philosophy. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

To make matters somewhat conformable for the old knight. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Disposed to compliance or obedience; ready to follow directions; quick to comply; submissive; compliant. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have been to you a true and humble wife,
At all times to your will conformable. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Geol.) Parallel, or nearly so; -- said of strata in contact. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being conformable; conformability. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With conformity or in conformity; suitably; agreeably. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conformably to the law and nature of God. Bp. Beveridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Conformity. [ R. ] Marston. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conformatus, p. p. See Conform. ] Having the same form. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. conformatio: cf. F. conformation. ] 1. The act of conforming; the act of producing conformity. [ 1913 Webster ]

The conformation of our hearts and lives to the duties of true religion and morality. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being conformed; agreement; hence; structure, as depending on the arrangement of parts; form; arrangement. [ 1913 Webster ]

In Hebrew poetry, there may be observed a certain conformation of the sentences. Lowth. [ 1913 Webster ]

A structure and conformation of the earth. Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., a framer. ] An apparatus for taking the conformation of anything, as of the head for fitting a hat, or, in craniometry, finding the largest horizontal area of the head. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. deformatio: cf. F. déformation. ] 1. The act of deforming, or state of anything deformed. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Transformation; change of shape. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to deformation (in all senses). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Not conformable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Disconformable in religion from us. Stow (1603). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of giving shape or form. [ Obs. ] Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. formic + alcohol. ] (Chem.) See Methylal.

a. [ L. formalis: cf. F. formel. ] 1. Belonging to the form, shape, frame, external appearance, or organization of a thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 or depending on the forms, so called, of the human intellect. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Done in due form, or with solemnity; according to regular method; not incidental, sudden or irregular; express; as, he gave his formal consent. [ 1913 Webster ]

His obscure funeral . . .
No noble rite nor formal ostentation. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

A cold-looking, formal garden, cut into angles and rhomboids. W. Irwing. [ 1913 Webster ]

She took off the formal cap that confined her hair. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Having the form or appearance without the substance or essence; external; as, formal duty; formal worship; formal courtesy, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Dependent in form; conventional. [ 1913 Webster ]

Still in constraint your suffering sex remains,
Or bound in formal or in real chains. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Sound; normal. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To make of him a formal man again. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Formic + aldehyde. ] (Chem.) A colorless, volatile liquid, H2CO, resembling acetic or ethyl aldehyde, and chemically intermediate between methyl alcohol and formic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Formic + aldehyde + -in. ] (Chem.) An aqueous solution of formaldehyde, used as a preservative in museums and as a disinfectant. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. The practice or the doctrine of strict adherence to, or dependence on, external forms, esp. in matters of religion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Official formalism. Sir H. Rawlinson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. formaliste. ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

As far a formalist from wisdom sits,
In judging eyes, as libertines from wits. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a set of procedures required to make a transaction official.
Syn. -- form, formality. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. Formalities [ Cf. F. formalité. ] 1. The condition or quality of being formal, strictly ceremonious, precise, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Form without substance. [ 1913 Webster ]

Such [ books ] as are mere pieces of formality, so that if you look on them, you look though them. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Compliance with formal or conventional rules; ceremony; conventionality. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor was his attendance on divine offices a matter of formality and custom, but of conscience. Atterbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. An established order; conventional rule of procedure; usual method; habitual mode. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was installed with all the usual formalities. C. Middleton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. pl. The dress prescribed for any body of men, academical, municipal, or sacerdotal. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The doctors attending her in their formalities as far as Shotover. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. That which is formal; the formal part. [ 1913 Webster ]

It unties the inward knot of marriage, . . . while it aims to keep fast the outward formality. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. The quality which makes a thing what it is; essence. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

The formality of the vow lies in the promise made to God. Bp. Stillingfleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Scholastic. Philos.) 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To affect formality. [ Obs. ] ales. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Formalized p. pr. & vb. n. Formalizing ] 1. To give form, or a certain form, to; to model. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To render formal. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. concerned with or characterized by rigorous adherence to recognized forms, especially in religion or art; using formalism; as, highly formalized plays like "Waiting for Godot".
Syn. -- formalistic. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. given formal standing or endorsement; made official or legitimate by the observance of proper procedures. official (vs. unofficial) --- (having official authority or sanction: "official permission"; "an official representative") [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In a formal manner; essentially; characteristically; expressly; regularly; ceremoniously; precisely. [ 1913 Webster ]

That which formally makes this [ charity ] a Christian grace, is the spring from which it flows. Smalridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

You and your followers do stand formally divided against the authorized guides of the church and rest of the people. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. attire to wear on formal occasions in the evening.
Syn. -- eveningwear, evening dress, evening clothes. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ F. or G. Cf. Formation. ] 1. (Print.) The shape and size of a book or other printed publication; hence, its external form. [ wns=2 ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

The older manuscripts had been written in a much larger format than that found convenient for university work. G. H. Putnam. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

One might, indeed, protest that the format is a little too luxurious. Nature. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (Print.) the arrangement of the parts of a printed page, such as text and graphics; as, text flowing around an illustration provides a more pleasing format; multiple columns are a more common format for large pages. [ PJC ]

3. (Computers) The pattern of organization of information in an electronic storage medium, such as the number and size of records, or the size, spacing, or separation symbols for fields in a record. A computer file, for example, may be in fixed-length format, in which each field or record occupies the same number of bytes, or in variable-length format, in which the lengths of fields or records varies. The number of formats are unlimited, being specifiable at will by programmers or in some cases by the users of programs. [ wns=1 ]
Syn. -- data format. [ PJC ]

4. Hence, The general organization, form, or plan for anything, such as an organized social, political, or entertainment event. [ PJC ]

v. t. to set into a specific format; -- of printed matter or data recorded on a data storage medium.
Syn. -- arrange. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ See Formic. ] (Chem.) A salt of formic acid. [ Written also formiate. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. formatio: cf. F. formation. ] 1. The act of giving form or shape to anything; a forming; a shaping. Beattie. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The manner in which a thing is formed; structure; construction; conformation; form; as, the peculiar formation of the heart. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A substance formed or deposited. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Mil.) The arrangement of a body of troops, as in a square, column, etc. Farrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. formatif. ] 1. Giving form; having the power of giving form; plastic; as, the formative arts. [ 1913 Webster ]

The meanest plant can not be raised without seed, by any formative residing in the soil. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) Serving to form; derivative; not radical; as, a termination merely formative. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Biol.) Capable of growth and development; germinal; as, living or formative matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Unconformable. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. in- not + formal. ] 1. Not in the regular, usual, or established form; not according to official, conventional, prescribed, or customary forms or rules; irregular; hence, without ceremony; as, an informal writing, proceeding, or visit. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Deranged in mind; out of one's senses. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

These poor informal women. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Informalities 1. The state of being informal; lack of regular, prescribed, or customary form; as, the informality of legal proceedings. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An informal, unconventional, or unofficial act or proceeding; something which is not in proper or prescribed form or does not conform to the established rule. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an informal manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. informans, -antis, p. pr. of informare. See Inform, v. t. ] 1. One who, or that which, informs, animates, or vivifies. [ Obs. ] Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who imparts information or instruction. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who offers an accusation; an informer. See Informer. [ Obs. or R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

It was the last evidence of the kind; the informant
was hanged. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. informatio representation, conception. See Inform, v. t. ] 1. The act of informing, or communicating knowledge or intelligence. [ 1913 Webster ]

The active informations of the intellect. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any fact or set of facts, knowledge, news, or advice, whether communicated by others or obtained by personal study and investigation; any datum that reduces uncertainty about the state of any part of the world; intelligence; knowledge derived from reading, observation, or instruction. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

Larger opportunities of information. Rogers. [ 1913 Webster ]

He should get some information in the subject he intends to handle. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) A proceeding in the nature of a prosecution for some offense against the government, instituted and prosecuted, really or nominally, by some authorized public officer on behalf of the government. It differs from an indictment in criminal cases chiefly in not being based on the finding of a grand jury. See Indictment. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Information Theory) A measure of the number of possible choices of messages contained in a symbol, signal, transmitted message, or other information-bearing object; it is usually quantified as the negative logarithm of the number of allowed symbols that could be contained in the message; for logarithms to the base 2, the measure corresponds to the unit of information, the hartley, which is log₂10, or 3.323 bits; called also information content. The smallest unit of information that can be contained or transmitted is the bit, corresponding to a yes-or-no decision. [ PJC ]

5. (Computers) Useful facts, as contrasted with raw data; as, among all this data, there must be some interesting information. [ PJC ]

n. information{ 4 }. [ PJC ]

n. The processing of information, especially by computers, including the organization, distribution, and frequently the analysis of data and the presentation of results in easily understood form. [ PJC ]

n. (Math., Telecommunications) The science which studies the capacity of systems to contain, store, and transmit information{ 2 and 4 }, and the factors such as noise and channel capacity that may affect the rate or accuracy of information transmission and reception. [ PJC ]

a. Having power to inform, animate, or vivify. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Full of, or conveying, information; instructive. [ R. ] London Spectator. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Incapable of being reformed; incorrigible. Joseph Cook. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Mal- + conformation. ] Imperfect, disproportionate, or abnormal formation; ill form; disproportion of parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Malconformation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Malformation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Mal- + formation. ] Ill formation; irregular or anomalous formation; abnormal or wrong conformation or structure; -- often used of body parts such as limbs which do not develop properly during fetal maturation. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]