Formans
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of formative (“language unit, typically a morph, that has a morphological function”).
"These facts then clearly evidence such elements as enclitical particles which exercise certain morphological and/or syntactical functions, but which have not yet developed into actual suffixes obliged to conform to sound-harmony and the general accentuation pattern. Some elements of this type are the formantia of the cas. compar. in -däg, and the cas. aequat. (prosecut., mensurat., terminat.) in -ča/-čä in the nominal category, and the formans of the negative aspect in -ma-/-mä- in the verbal category."
- 1 A small river in eastern France.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"These facts then clearly evidence such elements as enclitical particles which exercise certain morphological and/or syntactical functions, but which have not yet developed into actual suffixes obliged to conform to sound-harmony and the general accentuation pattern. Some elements of this type are the formantia of the cas. compar. in -däg, and the cas. aequat. (prosecut., mensurat., terminat.) in -ča/-čä in the nominal category, and the formans of the negative aspect in -ma-/-mä- in the verbal category."
Etymology
Borrowed from German Formans, from Latin elementum fōrmāns (“forming element”), with fōrmāns being the present participle of fōrmō (“to shape; to form; to fashion”). Doublet of formant.
From French Formans.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.