Crossword clues for former
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Former \For"mer\,
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[A compar. due to OE. formest. See Foremost.] 1. Preceding in order of time; antecedent; previous; prior; earlier; hence, ancient; long past.
For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age.
--Jo -
viii. 8.
The latter and former rain.
--Hosea vi. 3.3. Near the beginning; preceeding; as, the former part of a discourse or argument.
3. Earlier, as between two things mentioned together; first mentioned.
A bad author deserves better usage than a bad critic; a man may be the former merely through the misfortune of an ill judgment; but he can not be latter without both that and an ill temper.
--Pope.Syn: Prior; previous; anterior; antecedent; preceding; foregoing.
Former \Form"er\, n.
One who forms; a maker; a creator.
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(Mech.)
A shape around which an article is to be shaped, molded, woven wrapped, pasted, or otherwise constructed.
A templet, pattern, or gauge by which an article is shaped.
A cutting die.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"earlier in time," mid-12c., comparative of forme "first, earliest in time or order," from Old English forma "first," from Proto-Germanic *fruma-, *furma-, from from PIE *pre-mo-, suffixed (superlative) form of root *per- (1) "forward, through; before; first" (see per). Probably patterned on formest (see foremost); it is an unusual case of a comparative formed from a superlative (the Old English -m is a superlative suffix). As "first of two," 1580s.
"one who gives form," mid-14c., agent noun from form (v.). The Latin agent noun was formator.
Wiktionary
Etymology 1 a. 1 previous. 2 (senseid en first of aforementioned two items) first of aforementioned two items. Used with ''the'', often without a noun. Etymology 2
n. 1 Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder. 2 An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die. 3 (context chiefly British used in combinations English) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).
WordNet
n. the first of two or the first mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today" [ant: latter]
adj. referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several); "the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one" [syn: former(a)] [ant: latter(a)]
belonging to some prior time; "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover" [syn: erstwhile(a), former(a), once(a), onetime(a), quondam(a), sometime(a)]
(used especially of persons) of the immediate past; "the former president"; "our late President is still very active"; "the previous occupant of the White House" [syn: former(a), late(a), previous(a)]
of the distant past; "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times" [syn: early(a), former(a), other(a)]
Wikipedia
A former is a structural member of an aircraft fuselage, of which a typical fuselage has a series from the nose to the empennage, typically perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The primary purpose of formers is to establish the shape of the fuselage and reduce the column length of stringers to prevent instability. Formers are typically attached to longerons, which support the skin of the aircraft.
The Former-and-Longeron technique was adopted from boat construction (also called stations and stringers), and was typical of light aircraft built until the advent of structural skins such as fiberglass and other composite materials. Many of today's light aircraft, and homebuilt aircraft in particular, are still designed in this way.
They are also found in the cores of potentiometers in which the resistive material is wrapped round.
Usage examples of "former".
There must be a test by which to separate the opposing elements so as to build only from the sound, and that test is a sufficiently liberal one which accepts as sound whoever will make a sworn recantation of his former unsoundness.
What made it especially sensational was that the source of the allegation was his own former ally and unrelenting scourge of John Adams, the notorious James Callender.
Despite her brave assertions to Adonis, however, she realized that she really had no desire to resume her former life under the present circumstances.
He had never heard anyone but their former Spiritual Advisor, Brother Satake, come so close to criticizing his liege-lord.
The senior Shonto even went so far as to blame their former Spiritual Advisor, Brother Satake, for encouraging this trait, saying it was good education for children but the worst foolishness for the lord of a major House.
He was said to have substituted glass powder for the expensive suspensions of tiny machines which cured river blindnessand certainly there had been more cases of river blindness the previous summer, although the Aedile attributed this to the greater numbers of biting flies which bred in the algae which choked the mud banks of the former harbor.
They next turned to a Cape Afrikander, a former minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, Mr.
Indeed, Metternich himself in his own Memoirs often follows a good deal in the line of Bourrienne: among many formal attacks, every now and then he lapses into half involuntary and indirect praise of his great antagonist, especially where he compares the men he had to deal with in aftertimes with his former rapid and talented interlocutor.
Shari Kasr el Aini and the Shari el Munira, waiting for a chance to cross the former.
I noticed that she kept darting little glances at Senora Seixas, who was nearly as big as her husband, with a great trembling bosom and thick white arms ajangle with bracelets, but who moved with the grace of a former dancer and carried her plain blue frock magnificently.
The special units were under his personal control and all the officers were Alawites, former peasants like him and the dictator, men who owed their good fortune in life entirely to him.
Franz could not forbear breaking in upon the apparently interesting conversation passing between the countess and Albert, to inquire of the former if she knew who was the fair Albanian opposite, since beauty such as hers was well worthy of being observed by either sex.
Although, no doubt, many of the ecclesiastics of the time were a disgrace to their profession, as in former days was William of Ledbury, who was prior of Malvern, yet there were good Catholics as well as good Lollards, and I instanced Prior Alcock, who even then was engaged in the rebuilding of Little Malvern Priory, and I thought people should be allowed to worship God in their own fashion without being considered sinful.
Hassan of Aleppo seeks to restore the relic to its former restingplace.
Even all these years later, the face of the former emperor of Andhra was recognizable, where he hung in the great feasting hall of the imperial palace at Kautambi.