“form” in Latin

TRANS., (A) PROPR., formare (to give anything the definite shape that it must have, if it is to be recognized for what it is intended to represent): conformare (to form anything with an harmonious arrangement and proportion of its parts): figurare (to give anything the shape that is suitable to its destination): fingere: confingere (to give a definite shape to a shapeless mass). (The words are found in this connection and order.) fingere et formare: formam alicujus rei facere; of anything out of anything, all ex aliqua re: fabricari (to compose of its necessary elementary or component parts). Of these collected cohorts he formed a legion, bis legionibus coactis legionem efficit: to form words, verba fabricari; verba fingere or formare; arbitrarily, ad arbitrium suum: to form letters, litteras scribere (☞ not formare): very beautiful and clearly formed (characters), compositissimae et clarissimae (literulae, Cic.): a stone that has formed itself in the bladder, lapis in vesica innatus. (B) IMPROPR., (α) To imprint on anything the character it should have, especially in a moral and intellectual sense, fingere: formare: conformare: colere, excolere (to cultivate): expolire (to take off the rough exterior): instituere (to give the necessary instruction in a particular department); to anything, ad aliquid. To form the mind, animum, mentem fingere or conformare; animum colere, excolere (doctrina): to form the character, mores conformare: to form the minds of youth, puerilem aetatem ad humanitatem informare (general term, to form their manners, character, etc.); juventutem ad honestatem fingere, juventutis mentem ad virtutem fingere (to render morally good, virtuous): to form anybody’s character, aliquem formare et instituere: to form an orator, oratorem efficere or instituere: to form one’s self after anybody’s example, se formare in alicujus mores; exemplum capere or sumere de aliquo (to take anybody as an example).

(β) (β) To arrange, ordinare: in ordinem adducere or redigere: disponere (to assign to each part its proper place): componere (to compose, put together in an agreeable form): collocare: constituere (to bring or put into a proper condition): describere (to draw a plan of anything): explicare (to develope): copias ordinare (to form the ranks of the troops), or disponere (i. e., to point out to each single soldier his place and rank; Vid: Nep., Iph., 2, 2, “in eam consuetudinem adduxit copias, ut, sine ducis opera, sic ordinatae consisterent, ut singuli ab peritissimo imperatore dispositi essent”): to form the battalions for the attack, copias or aciem instruere: to form the line of march, *agmen ordinare (to form it as it is to march); agmen explicare (to formthe soldiers again into a line, after having been thrown into confusion on a march): to form a council, consilium constituere.

To constitute; e.g., to form the right wing, dextrum cornu tenere.

MISCELLANEOUS PHRASES: to form a notion of anything, aliquid mente fingere or formare; informare in animo alicujus rei notionem; notionem alicujus rei animo concipere; aliquid animo effingere; alicujus rei notionem mente fingere: not to be able to form any notion of anything, fugit aliquid intelligentiae nostras vim et notionem: to form a plan of anything, instituere rationem alicujus rei (i. e., to conceive or lay down a plan; e.g., for a work, operis): to form some plan respecting anything, consilium capere or inire de re: to form a plan of one’s own, consilium capere sibi separatim a reliquis; great projects, magna moliri: to form an attachment to anybody, amore suo aliquem amplecti, prosequi; a friendship with anybody, amicitiam cum aliquo conciliare, constituere (Quint., Cic., Pet. Cons., 7, 27), inire, sibi parere (Nep.); ad amicitiam alicujus se conferre, se applicare, se adjungere: many friendships are formed, multae amicitiae comparantur (Quint., Cic., Pet., Cons., 7, 25): to form an acquaintance with anybody, aliquem cognoscere: we have but lately formed an acquaintance, notitia inter nos nuper ad modum est (comedy): to form plots against anybody, facere insidias alicui: I will not contradict the good opinion that you have formed of me, non fallam opinionem tuam.

INTRANS., Of troops, se explicare: the troops formed of their own accord, sine praecepto ullius sua sponte stiuebatur acies (Liv., 9, 31).

figura (the shape, with reference to its outline; the shape, considered merely mathematically, without reference to color, beauty, etc., σχῆμα): forma (μορφή, the form, considered aesthetically, as the visible outward expression of the internal or real nature of anything, to which it corresponds; hence often = pleasing form, beauty, especially of a maiden): species (εἶδος, the shape, considered physically, as being the outward form that conceals the internal nature, to which it is opposed; hence, also, of a form appearing in a vision. Thus figura denotes only the outlines or lineaments; forma, or at least species, takes in the color, magnitude, etc.; Döderlein): facies (the natural quality in which anything corporeal presents itself, the whole exterior of a body, the whole form): statura (form in respect of length, breadth, and thickness, in which, however, the last two are subordinate): habitus (with and without corporis, σχῆμα, the natural constitution and form of body; opposed to cultus; not to be confounded with habitudo; i. e., external habit, ἕξις, in respect of form; hence Apul., Met., 9, p. 235, 35, sq., says, quidam procerus, et, ut indicabat habitus atque habitudo, miles e legione, etc.). To express the notion more closely, we also find figura et forma, forma ac figura; forma figuraque; figura et species; forma atque species; species atque figura (or forma); figura atque habitus: and Cic., Fin., 5, 12, 35, says, corporis nostri figura et forma et statura; but also frequently (as N.D., 1, 32, 90) formae figura. The beautiful form of anything, pulchritudo ac species alicujus rei: a human form, species humana: in human form, specie humana indutus (of gods): in the form of a D, in similitudinem D litterae circumactus (e.g., of a porticus): to give anything the form of anything, aliquid in formam alicujus rei redigere: to take, assume, or adopt the form of anything, speciem alicujus rei induere (so that one looks like anything); mutari in aliquem or aliquid (so that one is changed into any person or thing): to receive a form, formari; fingi; confingi; fingi et formari; formam induere: to adopt or receive another form, mutari (PROP. and figuratively). A letter (epistle) of unusual form, litterae inusitate scriptae: in the form of a memorandum-book, ad paginas et formam memorialis libelli (Suet., Caes., 55).

(Religious) (Religious) forms, ritus, uum. Vid: CEREMONIES.