Where does “formal” come from?
Formal comes from Middle English formel, from Old French formel, from Latin formalis meaning "of or pertaining to form," derived from Latin forma and the suffix -alis.
formal (English): Being in accord with established forms; Official;...
Definitions
- Being in accord with established forms; Official;...
Ancestry of “formal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | formel | — |
| 2 | Old French | formel | — |
| 3 | Latin | formālis | formal |
| 4 | French | -ïsme | -ism, variant of -isme following vowels |
| 5 | Latin | -isma | Alternative form of -ismus; -ism |
| 6 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |