form

Where does the word "form" come from? It comes from Latin forma, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Form’s story begins in Latin: forma meant “shape, mold, appearance.” The root of 'formula', 'reform' and 'uniform'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as forme. Carried into French for the shape or structure of something. It reached English by 1200s as form. Settled as the English word for the shape or structure of something. Today, form means the shape, structure, or visible arrangement of something, or a document to fill in.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient forma "shape, mold, appearance", the root of 'formula', 'reform' and 'uniform'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval forme "the shape or structure of something", carried into French for the shape or structure of something.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s form "the shape, structure, or arrangement of something", settled as the English word for the shape or structure of something.