former
UK /ˈfɔːmə/ · US /ˈfɔɹmɚ/ adjective, noun
Forms formers fmr fmr.
- adjective Previous. “A former president”
- noun (preceding with "the") The first of aforementioned two items. “The former is a good idea but the latter is not.”
- noun Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder. “Dave was the former of the company.”
- noun An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die. “The brick arch was built using a wooden former.”
- noun (chiefly UK, used in combinations) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class). “Fifth-former.”
Synonyms
erstwhile sometime whilom wont-to-be antecedent anterior earlier ex foregone hitherto old olden past preceding precedent previous prior quondam used-to-be onetime one-time late early other
Antonyms
next following after later posterior subsequent succeeding successor ulterior current latter
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English former, comparative of forme (“first”), from Old English forma (“first”), descended from Proto-Germanic *frumô. Parallel to prior (via Latin), as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root. Related to first and fore (thence before), from Proto-Germanic.
Inherited from Middle English formere. By surface analysis, form + -er.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who forms; a maker; a creator.
- noun (a) A shape around which an article is to be shaped, molded, woven wrapped, pasted, or otherwise constructed.
- adjective Preceding in order of time; antecedent; previous; prior; earlier; hence, ancient; long past.
- adjective Near the beginning; preceeding; as, the former part of a discourse or argument.
Etymology [A compar. due to OE. formest. See Foremost.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “former”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details