Usage notes

• In accents without the horse-hoarse merger, a distinction in pronunciation was formerly made between senses 1.6 "long bench", 2.8 "class of pupils", and 6 "den", pronounced /fo(ə)ɹm/, /foəm/ (< Middle English /fuːrm/) and all other senses, pronounced /fɔː(ɹ)m/ (< Middle English /fɔrm/).^[4][5]

Synonyms

• (visible structure of a thing or person): shape; see also Thesaurus:shape
  • (visible structure of a person): figure; see also Thesaurus:physique
• (thing that gives shape to other things): cast, cookie cutter, mold, pattern
• (mode of construction): configuration, makeup; see also Thesaurus:composition
• (blank document): formular
• (pre-collegiate level): grade
• (biology): f.

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• → Japanese: フォーム
• → Korean: 폼 (pom)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: form

Translations

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (give shape): beshape, transmogrify; see also Thesaurus:form
• (take shape): take form, take shape; see also Thesaurus:come into being
• (constitute): compose, make up; see also Thesaurus:compose

Derived terms

Related terms

• format
• formation

Translations

Usage notes

When specifying the year, contrary to UK usage, a cardinal number follows instead, such as form 6.

Declension

Declension

Declension

Declension

Noun

formCategory:Middle English alternative forms#FORMCategory:Middle English entries with incorrect language header#FORMCategory:Pages with entries#FORMCategory:Pages with 13 entries#FORM

1. alternative form of forme (“form”)

Adjective

formCategory:Middle English alternative forms#FORMCategory:Middle English entries with incorrect language header#FORMCategory:Pages with entries#FORMCategory:Pages with 13 entries#FORM

1. alternative form of forme (“first”)

Noun

form f or m (definite singular forma or formen, indefinite plural former, definite plural formene)Category:Norwegian Bokmål lemmas#FORMCategory:Norwegian Bokmål nouns#FORMCategory:Norwegian Bokmål entries with incorrect language header#FORMCategory:Norwegian Bokmål feminine nouns#FORMCategory:Norwegian Bokmål masculine nouns#FORMCategory:Norwegian Bokmål nouns with multiple genders#FORMCategory:Pages with entries#FORMCategory:Pages with 13 entries#FORM

1. a form, shape (the outer configuration of a thing; figure, outline)
   • 1907, Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Samlede Digterverker III, page 50:

     himlen virker af skyers flor et slør om jordens mægtigste form

     the sky works by the bloom of clouds a veil over the mightiest form of the earth

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 200:

     hvilken ædel stil i værket! Og hvilken mægtighed der bor i formerne

     what a noble style in the work! And what power resides in the forms

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1919, Mikkjel Fønhus, Der vildmarken suser, page 87:

     mosen la sig villig for skoene hans og tok form efter dem

     the moss lay willingly for his shoes and took shape after them

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1959, Jens Bjørneboe, Blåmann, page 24:

     skyene på himmelen … delte seg, fløt sammen igjen og dannet nye former

     the clouds in the sky… split, floated together again and formed new shapes

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1917, Arne Løchen, Fantasien, page 163:

     [Platon slo seg ikke] tiltaals med de former, som naturen stiller frem for os

     [Plato did not strike himself] with the forms that nature presents to us

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2012, Stig Aasvik, Indre anliggender:

     munnens bevegelser, leppenes form, tennenes stilling

     the movements of the mouth, the shape of the lips, the position of the teeth

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1959, Jens Bjørneboe, Blåmann, page 69:

     det hendte at lengselen tok form inne i ham, i et syn som steg opp i ham

     it happened that the longing took shape inside him, in a vision that rose up in him

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2000, Knut Olav Åmås, Ludwig Wittgenstein:

     [Ludwig Wittgensteins] etikk tok form tidlig og endret seg ikke grunnleggende

     [Ludwig Wittgenstein's] ethics took shape early and did not change fundamentally

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2010, Tore Henriksen, I mors liv:

     det var som enkeltceller at livet først tok form, i havet en gang for 3,5–4 milliarder år siden

     it was as single cells that life first took shape, in the ocean once 3.5–4 billion years ago

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1986, Terje Stigen, Ved foten av kunnskapens tre:

     anlegget i Sørvika begynner å ta form av en ubåthavn

     the facility in Sørvika is beginning to take the form of a submarine port

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2012, Eystein Hanssen, Triangel:

     nedbøren [hadde] tatt form av sludd

     the precipitation [had] taken the form of sleet

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1999, Ketil Bjørnstad, Fall:

     langsomt fant forholdet sin form som vennskap

     slowly the relationship took shape as a friendship

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   ta form ― take shape; developCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms with usage examples#FORM

   ta form av ― take shape of; show up as (something)Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with usage examples#FORM

   finne sin form ― find the right, best way to be or happenCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms with usage examples#FORM

   1. (in the plural) curves (the shape of a human, especially a woman's body)
      • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt, page 151:

        hun er sandelig lækker, den taske. Hun har noget extravagante former

        she is truly delicious, that hag. She has somewhat extravagant curves

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1951, Agnar Mykle, Morgen i appelsingult, page 34:

        badedrakten skjuler [ikke] noe som helst av hennes former

        the swimsuit [does not] hide any of her curves

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1999, Stig Sæterbakken, Sauermugg, page 159:

        så mye snakk det er om å «ta seg sammen» og «holde på formene» og «stramme seg opp»

        so much talk there is about "getting together" and "keeping in shape" and "tightening up"

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   2. a shape, form (the way in which details, especially outer lines, are prepared, arranged, assembled into a harmonious whole)
      • 1906, Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Samlede Digterverker I, page 91:

        form betyder … maaden, hvorved det mangfoldige forbinder sig til et heelt

        form means… the way in which the manifold connects to a whole

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1931, Morgenbladet, page 5:

        hele dette anlegg [slottsplassen] kan bli bragt i harmoni og arkitektonisk form

        this whole facility [the castle square] can be brought into harmony and architectural form

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1933, Christian A. R. Christensen, Det hendte igår, page 160:

        bygger man … en moderne storby-bygning eller en bensinstasjon à la gresk tempel får man ikke den riktige organiske sammenheng mellem stoffet og formen som er kjennetegnet for den ekte kunst, den ekte stil

        if you build a modern metropolitan building or a gas station à la grecque temple, you will not get the right organic connection between the fabric and the shape that is characteristic of the real art, the real style

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 2006, Lars Roar, Når fuglen letter, page 79:

        [Håkon Gullvåg ble] satt til å undervise ved Institutt for form og farge på NTH

        [Håkon Gullvåg was] set to teach at the Department of Design and Color at NTH

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   3. form (way of expressing oneself; way of acting)
      • 1847–1868, Halfdan Kjerulf, Av hans efterladte papirer 1847–1868, page 145:

        formen skal jo hæve indholdet, men ikke oversukre det, saa man ikke seer, hvad meel der er i maden

        the form should raise the contents, but not sugary it, so you do not see what flour is in the food

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Kejser og Galilæer, page 75:

        [en gavnlig lære for livet] fremsættes i en sindrig og tiltrækkende form

        [a beneficial doctrine for life] is presented in an ingenious and appealing form

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1877, Arne Garborg, Den ny-norske Sprog- og Nationalitetsbevægelse, page 112:

        det er sædvanligt hos os … nordmænd dette at mangle sans for formens betydning og derimod holde os til stoffet

        it is customary with us Norwegians to lack a sense of the meaning of form and instead stick to the substance

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter I, page 396:

        hvad er skjønhed? Overensstemmelse mellem indhold og form

        what is beauty? Consistency between content and form

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1944, Per Imerslund, Videre i passgang, page 13:

        folkene i dette avsidesliggende strøket holder enno på de gamle formene

        the people of this remote area still hold on to the old forms

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1964, Lorentz Eckhoff, En verden, page 106:

        nytt syn, nytt sinn krever med nødvendighet ny form

        new vision, new mind necessarily requires new form

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 2006, Simen Ekern, Berlusconis Italia:

        [Silvio] Berlusconis suksess [var] basert på form, ikke på innhold

        [Silvio] Berlusconi's success [was] based on form, not content

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      Formen er ikke forfatterens sterkeste side.

      Form is not the author's strongest side.

      Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with usage examples#FORM

      Synonym: innhold

   4. a form, design (the way in which something acts, is organized or manifests itself)
      • 1943, Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Samlede Digterverker I, page 91:

        form betyder ialmindelighed den skikkelse, hvorunder en vis kraft ytrer sig

        design generally means the figure under which a certain force manifests itself

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter I, page 292:

        i al fald klæder påtrængenheden sig her i en så troskyldig form at den snarere vækker morskab end forargelse

        in any case, the intrusion dresses here in such a faithful design that it arouses amusement rather than indignation

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1957, Edvard Grieg, Artikler og taler, page 73:

        enhver nations konst er fra folkesangen gjennem de små former i tidernes løb vandret over i de større, fyldigere, mere combinerede. Havde Kjerulf pleiet store former, som sonaten, symphonien, da havde han forsøgt en opgave, som ikke tilkom ham

        every nation's art is from the folk song through the small forms over time horizontal to the larger, fuller, more combined. Had Kjerulf nurtured great designs, such as the sonata, the symphony, then he would have tried a task that did not belong to him

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, page 113:

        Griegs kvartett … var den rene vanhelligelse av den formen Haydn, Mozart og Beethoven hadde skapt noen av sine fineste verk i

        Grieg's quartet… was the pure desecration of the design Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven had created some of their finest works in

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, page 123:

        Schumann … var liksom for kortpustet til å lykkes helt i «den store form»

        Schumann… was somehow too short of breath to succeed completely in "the great design"

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 2005, Erik Lundesgaard, Skikk og bruk:

        De-formen er nesten forsvunnet, og brukes for det meste i skriftlig form

        The de-form has almost disappeared, and is mostly used in written form

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 2009, Karl Ove Knausgård, Min kamp 1, page 262:

        det var ikke slik at jeg nøt smaken av kaffe eller følelsen av røyk …, poenget var å ha det gjort, det var en rutine, og som med alle rutiner, lå det hele i formen

        it was not like I enjoyed the taste of coffee or the feeling of smoke…, the point was to have it done, it was a routine, and as with all routines, it was all in form

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 2010, Eivind Buene, Enmannsorkester:

        utilslørte trusler i brevs form

        undisguised threats in the form of letters

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1907, Jens Thiis, Norske malere og billedhuggere II, page 372:

        medgangen [kom] i form af et par stipendier

        the success [came] in the form of a few scholarships

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 1992, Øivind Hånes, Venterommet der sporene viskes ut:

        faren er over sønnen med en kort formaning i form av et intenst og utvetydig blikk

        the father is over the son with a brief admonition in the form of an intense and unambiguous look

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 2018, Simon Stranger, Leksikon om lys og mørke, page 123:

        [lykken] kommer i form av en kvinne som plutselig står foran ham

        [happiness] comes in the form of a woman who suddenly stands before him

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      • 2020, Trond Vernegg, En halvfull forsamling, page 100:

        betaling i form av et par flasker vin

        payment in the form of a few bottles of wine

        Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

      i form av ― in the form of; in the shape ofCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms with usage examples#FORM

   5. (physicsCategory:nb:Physics#FORM, sciencesCategory:nb:Sciences#FORM) a state (the physical property of matter as solid, liquid, gas or plasma)

      Synonym: aggregattilstand

   6. (biologyCategory:nb:Biology#FORM) a level below a species in the classification of organisms, where there is a less systematic variation between individuals of the same species
2. a type, kind, form (a category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together)
   • 2005, Linn Ullmann, Et velsignet barn:

     en eller annen form for antibiotika

     some kind of antibiotic

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2008, Karsten Alnæs, Bakenfor alle farger:

     det var ulike former for sting, ulike teknikker som krevde perfeksjon og håndlag

     there were different types of stitches, different techniques that required perfection and craftsmanship

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2010, Arne Danielsen, Mesteren:

     korrespondansesjakk var tidligere en form for sjakk der spillerne sendte postkort fram og tilbake til hverandre, der et enkelt parti kunne vare i flere år

     correspondence chess was formerly a form of chess where players sent postcards back and forth to each other, where a single game could last for several years

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2011, Sofie Hexeberg, Gunn-Karin Sakariassen, Frisk med lavkarbo:

     enhver form for mosjon [vil] være gunstig hvis du sliter med høyt blodsukker

     Any form of exercise [will] be beneficial if you are struggling with high blood sugar

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

3. (philosophyCategory:nb:Philosophy#FORM) a form (an eternal type of thing or idea, especially in Plato's philosophy)
   • 1917, Arne Løchen, Fantasien, page 163:

     den formløse materie fortæller os ikke noget; formen alene gir den liv … [Platon] saa stoffet bli levende ved formens magt

     the formless matter tells us nothing; form alone gives it life… [Plato] so that matter becomes alive by the power of form

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

4. (philosophyCategory:nb:Philosophy#FORM, natural science) the formal cause (the design, pattern, or pure concept of a thing, which gives form or structure to its matter, in Aristotelianism)
   • 1991, Jostein Gaarder, Sofies verden:

     [mens] det er hønas «form» å kakle, å flakse med vingene samt å legge egg, er det steinens form å falle til jorden

     [while] it is the hen's "form" to cackle, to flap its wings and to lay eggs, it is the stone's form to fall to the ground

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1994, Trond Berg Eriksen, Undringens labyrinter, page 17:

     Aristoteles skilte mellom fire forskjellige årsaker: form, stoff, bevegelse og hensikt

     Aristotle distinguished between four different causes: form, matter, movement, and purpose

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

5. (philosophyCategory:nb:Philosophy#FORM) form (summary of the manifold, the material of experience, into unity in consciousness - especially in Kant's philosophy)
   • 1924, Arnulf Øverland, Brød og vin, page 15:

     jeg er bundet til min tankes former

     I am bound to the forms of my mind

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

6. a norm (a rule that is imposed by regulations and/or socially enforced by members of a community)
   • 1883, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, En Hanske, page 71:

     så er det bare en form, da!

     so it's just a norm, then!

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 158:

     [i helgen skal] jeg ordne alt, hvad formen gjælder, og sætte sagen glat ivej

     [this weekend I have to] fix everything that applies to the norm and put the matter off smoothly

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1929, Arbeiderbladet, page 4:

     de spekulerer i legale former

     they speculate in legal forms

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1938, Alf B. Bryn, Peter van Heeren mottar opdrag av enhver art, page 129:

     det er mere en form og dessuten en form som folk har tillit til

     it is more a form and moreover a form that people trust

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   1. (in the plural) etiquette (the customary behavior of members of a profession, business, law, or sports team towards each other)
   • 1830, Conrad N. Schwach, Erindringer af mit Liv indtil Ankomsten til Throndhjem, page 232:

     han var … et temmelig indskrænket hoved, og som alle saadanne stiv i vedtagne former

     he was… a rather constricted head, and like all such stiff in adopted forms

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Kærlighedens komedie, page 56:

     De vil ej tåle formens snørliv lagt om Deres hjerte, frit må det pulsere

     You will not tolerate the etiquette life laid around your heart, it must pulsate freely

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1883, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, En Hanske, page 7:

     Svava overser aldrig formerne som din mor

     Svava never overlooks etiquette like your mother

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter I, page 81:

     som en ærbar og sædelig mø holder jeg strængt på form og dekorum

     as an honorable and moral maiden, I strictly adhere to form and decorum

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 1964, Jens Bjørneboe, Drømmen og hjulet, page 29:

     vi lever i en brytningstid, hvor gamle former må falle

     we live in a time of upheaval where old forms must fall

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2001, Knut Faldbakken, Uår:

     en rekke tabuer og konvensjoner var i ferd med å bli innholdsløse, stivnet form løste seg opp

     a number of taboos and conventions were becoming meaningless, solidified form dissolved

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   Synonym: etikette

7. (linguisticsCategory:nb:Linguistics#FORM, grammarCategory:nb:Grammar#FORM) a form (a grouping of words which maintain grammatical context in different usages; the particular shape or structure of a word or part of speech)
   • 1917, Ivar Aasen, Reise-Erindringer og Reise-Indberetninger 1842−1847, page 133:

     opmærksomheden henvendes mest paa de distrikter, som enten ved sin beliggenhed eller paa grund af nærmere efterretning kunne formodes at have beholdt mest af de gamle nationale ord og former

     attention is drawn mostly to those districts which, either by their location or by closer examination, could be presumed to have retained most of the old national words and forms;

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

8. a form, mold (a hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance)
   • 2000, Vigdis Hjorth, Hva er det med mor, page 106:

     hun skulle skrape [kaken] ut av formen med en brødkniv

     she was going to scrape [the cake] out of the mold with a bread knife

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   • 2010, Margit Vea, Kjøkkenpatruljen:

     hvelv deigen rett fra bollen og over i smurte former

     vault the dough straight from the bowl and into greased forms

     Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with quotations#FORM

   1. (typographyCategory:nb:Typography#FORM) a printing form (an object, usually in the shape of a block or a plate, used in printing to apply ink on the printed surface)

      Synonym: trykkform

   2. (technologyCategory:nb:Technology#FORM) an extruder (a machine that extrudes material through shaped dies)

      Blåsebelg med form.

      A bellow with extruder.

      Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with usage examples#FORM

      Synonym: ekstruder