Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

formo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [forma], to shape, fashion, form (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. sense).

  1. I. Lit.: omnis fere materia nondum formata rudis appellatur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 265: materia, quam fingit et format effectio, Cic. Ac. 1, 2, 6: utcumque temperatus sit aër, ita pueros orientes animari atque formari, id. Div. 2, 42, 89: lapsos formare capillos, to adjust, Prop. 1, 3, 23: classem in Ida, Verg. A. 9, 80: vultus, Plin. 35, 8, 34, § 56: e Pario formatum marmore signum, Ov. M. 3, 419.
    Absol.: (individua corpora, i. e. atomi) formare, figurare, colorare, animare (se ipsa) non possent, Cic. N. D. 1, 39, 110.
  2. II. Trop., to shape, form, regulate, dispose, direct; to prepare, compose, etc. (in Cic. only with abstr. objects): verba nos, sicut mollissimam ceram, ad nostrum arbitrium formamus et fingimus, Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 177: orationem, id. ib. 2, 9, 36: verba recte formare, Quint. 1, 12, 9; 10, 7, 7: ea quae inter se discrepant, Cic. de Or. 3, 9, 34: eloquentiam, Quint. 2, 10, 2: actionem, id. 11, 3, 180: disciplinam filii, id. 4 praef. § 1; cf.: studia ejus, id. prooem. § 5: consuetudinem partim exercitationis assiduitate partim ratione formare, Cic. Ac. 1, 5, 20: mores, Quint. 12, 2, 27: vitam et mores juventutis, Plin. Pan. 47, 1: custodireque in aetate prima pudorem, Quint. 1, 2, 4: nulla res magis penetrat in animos, eosque fingit, format, flectit, etc., Cic. Brut. 38, 142: quae formabat canendo Heroum mentes, Sil. 11, 452; cf. Quint. 1, 12, 10: animum judicum, id. 4, 1, 60: mentes, id. 2, 16, 10: mores juventutis quam principaliter formas! Plin. Pan. 47, 1; 88, 3: epistolas orationesque et edicta alieno formabat ingenio, Suet. Dom. 20; cf.: si quid res exigeret, Latine formabat, id. Aug. 89: inventus est ejus de hac re sermo formatus, id. Ner. 47: personam formare nevam, to invent, Hor. A. P. 126: versus meos cantat formatque citharā, qs. trims, embellishes them, Plin. Ep. 4, 19, 4: cogitet oratorem institui, rem arduam, etiam cum ei formando nihil defuerit, Quint. 1, 1, 10; cf.: (juvenis) ita a me formari et institui cupit, ut, etc., Plin. Ep. 1, 14, 3: perfectum ora torem, Quint. 2, 15, 33: sapientem, id. 1, 10, 5: virum, id. 12, 1, 44: puerum dictis, Hor. S. 1, 4, 121: feros cultus hominum recentum dictis, id. C. 1, 10, 3: tenerae nimis mentes asperioribus formandae studiis, id. ib. 3, 24, 54: poëtam (with alere), id. A. P. 307: format enim natura prius nos intus ad omnem Fortunarum habitum, id. ib. 108: ad credendum ante formatus, Quint. 5, 7, 8; 7, 3, 14: opus movendi judicum animos atque in eum quem volumus habitum formandi, id. 6, 2, 1; 11, 1, 2: at quae non tacita formavi gaudia mente, Ov. Am. 3, 7, 63: se in mores alicujus, Liv. 1, 21, 2: in admirationem formata, i. e. feigning, simulans, Suet. Claud. 37.