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former

Pronunciation: /ˈfɔɹmɚ/

The English word “former” has 5 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Previous.

noun

  1. The first of aforementioned two items.
  2. Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.
  3. An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die.
  4. Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).

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.

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