LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

fōrmōsus

fōrmōsus (feminine fōrmōsa, neuter fōrmōsum, comparative fōrmōsior, superlative fōrmōsissimus, adverb fōrmōsē)
Classical[foːrˈmoː.sʊs]Ecclesiastical[forˈmɔː.s̬us]

Meaning

  1. adjectivebeautiful, handsome
    Lesbia fōrmōsa est […]Lesbia is beautiful […]c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 86.5
  2. adjectiveaesthetic, well-formed

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Formosus · Pulcher · Venustus

1. Formosus means beauty, as far as it excites pleasure and delight by fineness of form; pulchrum, as far as it excites admiration, is imposing, and satisfies the taste by its perfectness; venustum, as far as by its charms it excites desire, and captivates. Formositas works on the natural sense of beauty; pulchritudo, on the cultivated taste; venustas, on the more refined sensuality. Suet. Ner. 51. Fuit vultu pulchro magis quam venusto; that is, it had perfect and regular beauty rather than pleasing features, and possessed a cold, heartless sort of beauty, by which no one felt attracted. Comp. Catull. lxxxvi. Hor. A. P. 99. Cic. Off. i. 36. 2. Venustas, loveliness, is of higher import than gratia, grace; the former transports, the latter only attracts. (iii. 29.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativefōrmōsus
fōrmōnsus		fōrmōsa
fōrmōnsa		fōrmōsum
fōrmōnsum
genitivefōrmōsī
fōrmōnsī		fōrmōsae
fōrmōnsae		fōrmōsī
fōrmōnsī
dativefōrmōsō
fōrmōnsō		fōrmōsae
fōrmōnsae		fōrmōsō
fōrmōnsō
accusativefōrmōsum
fōrmōnsum		fōrmōsam
fōrmōnsam		fōrmōsum
fōrmōnsum
ablativefōrmōsō
fōrmōnsō		fōrmōsā
fōrmōnsā		fōrmōsō
fōrmōnsō
vocativefōrmōse
fōrmōnse		fōrmōsa
fōrmōnsa		fōrmōsum
fōrmōnsum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativefōrmōsī
fōrmōnsī		fōrmōsae
fōrmōnsae		fōrmōsa
fōrmōnsa
genitivefōrmōsōrum
fōrmōnsōrum		fōrmōsārum
fōrmōnsārum		fōrmōsōrum
fōrmōnsōrum
dativefōrmōsīs
fōrmōnsīs		fōrmōsīs
fōrmōnsīs		fōrmōsīs
fōrmōnsīs
accusativefōrmōsōs
fōrmōnsōs		fōrmōsās
fōrmōnsās		fōrmōsa
fōrmōnsa
ablativefōrmōsīs
fōrmōnsīs		fōrmōsīs
fōrmōnsīs		fōrmōsīs
fōrmōnsīs
vocativefōrmōsī
fōrmōnsī		fōrmōsae
fōrmōnsae		fōrmōsa
fōrmōnsa

formōsus (FORMONSVS, Inscr. Grut. 669, 10;
I. comp.: FORMONSIOR, Inscr. Fabr. p. 374, no. 169: formonsam, Verg. E. 1, 5 Rib.), a, um, adj. forma, I. B. 1., finely formed, beautiful, handsome (freq. and class; syn.: pulcher, speciosus, venustus, bellus).
A. Of visible subjects: deum rotundum esse volunt, quod ea forma ullam negat esse pulchriorem Plato: at mihi vel cylindri vel quadrati vel coni vel pyramidis videtur esse formosior, Cic. N. D. 1, 10, 24: consideratur in homine, formosus an deformis, id. Inv. 1, 24, 35: virgines formosissimae, id. ib. 2, 1, 2: mulier, Hor. A. P. 4: vis formosa videri, id. C. 4, 13, 3: formosum pastor Corydon ardebat Alexin, Verg. E. 2, 1; cf.: formosi pecoris custos, formosior ipse, id. ib. 5, 44: Galatea hedera formosior alba, id. ib. 7, 38: boves, Ov. A. A. 1, 296: mater haedorum duorum, id. F. 5, 117: arma Sabina, Prop. 4 (5), 4, 32. so, formosius telum jaculabile, Ov. M. 7, 679: arbutus, Prop. 1, 2, 11 (dub.; Müll. felicius): Alcibiades, omnium aetatis suae multo formosissimus, Nep. Alcib. 1, 2: nunc frondent sylvae, nunc formosissimus annus, Verg. E. 3, 57: tempus (i. e. ver), Ov. F. 4, 129: aestas messibus, id. R. Am. 187: lux formosior omnibus Calendis, Mart. 10, 24, 2: habitus formosior, Quint. 9, 4, 8.—Prov.: Formonsa facies muta commendatio est, Pub. Syr. 169 (Rib.).—
B. Rarely of abstr. subjects: nihil est virtute formosius, nihil pulchrius, Cic. Fam. 9, 14, 4.—Adv.: formōse, beautifully (very rare): Cupidinem formosum deum formose cubantem, App. M. 5, p. 168: saltare, id. ib. 6, p. 183: formosius, Quint. 8, 3, 10: formosissime, Aug. Conf. 1, 7.

Origins

  1. Ancient Greek μορφή(morphḗ)der.?
  2. Latinfōrmōsus

Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Latin fōrmōsus From fōrma (“shape, beauty”) + -ōsus (“full of”). Compare typologically Proto-Slavic *lěpъ (< *lěpiti) (Russian ле́пый (lépyj), лепи́ть (lepítʹ)). Also compare Greek όμορφος (ómorfos) < Ancient Greek εὔμορφος (eúmorphos) < εὖ (eû) + μορφή (morphḗ) (with the second element of the Greek term, for the first element see Latin bellus).

Borrowed
  • Englishformous
  • Frenchformeuxfrom Middle French formeux
  • Portugueseformoso
  • PortugueseIlha Formosa
  • FrenchÎle Formosefrom Portuguese Ilha Formosa
  • GermanInsel Formosafrom Portuguese Ilha Formosa
  • SpanishYsla Hermosa / Isla Hermosafrom Portuguese Ilha Formosa
  • SpanishIsla Formosafrom Portuguese Ilha Formosa
  • Old Occitanformos
  • DutchEilandt Formosa / Eylant Formosa / Eiland Formosafrom Portuguese Ilha Formosa
Inherited
  • Catalanformós
  • Italianformoso
  • Portuguesefermosofrom Old Galician-Portuguese fermoso
  • Portuguesefremosofrom Old Galician-Portuguese fermoso
  • Spanishhermosofrom Old Spanish fermoso
  • Sardinianelmosufrom Old Spanish fermoso
  • Romanianfrumos
  • Asturianformosu
  • Asturianfermosu
  • Extremaduranhermosu

Quick answers

What does fōrmōsus mean in Latin?
fōrmōsus, a adjective, means “beautiful, handsome; aesthetic, well-formed”.
How do you pronounce fōrmōsus?
In classical Latin, [foːrˈmoː.sʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [forˈmɔː.s̬us].
Where does fōrmōsus come from?
Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ)der.? → Latin fōrmōsus.