"formal" in seven languages
Meaningformal
Spanish
formal
/foɾˈmal/
learned
Also 'reliable, serious' of a person: un chico muy formal.
French
formel
/fɔʁmɛl/
learned
Often 'categorical': un refus formel is a flat refusal; for dress or style French prefers habillé or soutenu.
Italian
formale
/forˈmale/
learned
Portuguese
formal
/fohˈmaw/
learned
Romanian
formal
/forˈmal/
learned
Catalan
formal
/fuɾˈmal/
learned
English
formal
/ˈfɔɹməl/
from Latin/French · Latin FORMĀLIS
English → ItalianformalformaleCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
FORMĀLEM‘of a form or shape (from FORMA)’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A learned adjective in all four languages, built on FORMA 'shape'. Watch French formel: it usually means 'explicit, categorical', not 'dressed-up'.
English relatives: form, format, formula, uniform
Learn it
In a sentence
- esRecibimos una invitación formal.
- frNous avons reçu une invitation officielle.
- itAbbiamo ricevuto un invito formale.
- ptRecebemos um convite formal.
- roAm primit o invitație formală.
- caVam rebre una invitació formal.
- enWe received a formal invitation.
More in Describing words
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- silent, quietsilenciososilencieuxsilenziososilenciosoliniștitsilenciós
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- concrete (specific, real)concretoconcretconcretoconcretoconcretconcret
- horriblehorriblehorribleorribilehorríveloribilhorrible