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"form, shape" in seven languages

Meaningform, shape

Spanish

forma

/ˈfoɾma/

fem.learned

The inherited doublet is horma, a shoemaker's last.

French

forme

/fɔʁm/

fem.learned

Fromage 'cheese' comes from *FORMĀTICUM, cheese pressed in a mould.

Italian

forma

/ˈforma/

fem.inherited

Also a whole wheel of cheese: una forma di parmigiano.

Portuguese

forma

/ˈfɔhmɐ/

fem.learned

Its close-o twin fôrma 'mould, baking tin' is the popular form.

Romanian

formă

/ˈformə/

fem.learned

Catalan

forma

/ˈfoɾmə/

fem.inherited

English

form

/fɔɹm/

from Latin/French · Old French forme, from Latin

English → Italianform, shapeformaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FORMAM‘shape, mould’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spanish shows the doublet best: inherited horma (F- turned h-) is a mould for shoes, learned forma is 'shape'. Being 'in shape' is estar en forma, être en forme, essere in forma.

English relatives: format, formal, uniform, reform

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In a sentence

  • esLa mesa tiene forma redonda.
  • frLa table a une forme ronde.
  • itIl tavolo ha una forma rotonda.
  • ptA mesa tem forma redonda.
  • roMasa are o formă rotundă.
  • caLa taula té forma rodona.
  • enThe table has a round shape.

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