Etymograph

English

formant

Formant comes from Latin fōrmāns ‘shaping’, from fōrmō ‘to shape’, and ultimately from fōrma ‘form’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrma‘form’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmō‘to shape’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmāns‘shaping’present participle of fōrmō
  4. Germanc. 1650–presentFormant
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2002formant

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrma‘form’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmō‘to shape’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmāns‘shaping’present participle of fōrmō
  4. Germanc. 1650–presentFormant
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2002formant

Earliest quotation: 2002, Moira Yip, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: “In natural speech, of course, formants are always present…”

Linked words

through Ancient Greek μορφή ‘shape, form’

morphology, morph, 31 more

through Etruscan *morma

uniformity, 20 more

through Latin fōrma ‘form’

formula, uniform, informatics, fromage, deformable, 25 more

through Latin fōrmō ‘to shape’

information, reform, transformation, inform, deform, 7 more

Today it means

noun A band of frequencies in a sound spectrum that have greater intensity and determine the quality of a sound, especially the resonant frequencies of the vocal tract that determine the quality of vowels and sonorant consonants.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin fōrma / formant

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