former

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• General-American: /ˈfɔɹmɚ/
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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɔːmə/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)mə(ɹ)
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• CMU ARPABET: F AO1 R M ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Inherited from Middle English former, comparative of forme (“first”), from Old English forma (“first”), descended from Proto-Germanic *frumô. Parallel to prior (via Latin), as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root. Related to first and fore (thence before), from Proto-Germanic.

Inherited from Middle English formere. By surface analysis, form + -er.

141 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: سَابِق (sābiq) — previous
• Belarusian: былы́ (bylý) — previous
• Belarusian: бы́ўшы (býwšy) — previous
• Bengali: সাবেক (śabek) — previous
• Bengali: প্রাক্তন (prakton) — previous
• Bengali: ভূতপূর্ব (bhutopurbo) — previous
• Bengali: পূর্বতন (purboton) — previous
• Bulgarian: бивш (bivš) — previous
• Bulgarian: ми́нал (mínal) — previous
• Bulgarian: преди́шен (predíšen) — previous
• Catalan: anterior — previous
• Catalan: previ — previous
• Chinese Mandarin: 前 (qián) — previous
• Czech: bývalý — previous
• Danish: tidligere — previous
• Danish: forhenværende — previous
• Dutch: voormalig — previous
• Dutch: gewezen — previous
• Esperanto: antaŭa — previous
• Faroese: fyrrverandi — previous
• Finnish: edeltävä — previous
• Finnish: edellinen — previous
• Finnish: entinen — previous
• French: précédent — previous
• French: ancien — previous
• Galician: anterior — previous
• Georgian: წინანდელი (c̣inandeli) — previous
• Georgian: უწინდელი (uc̣indeli) — previous
• German: ehemalig — previous
• German: vorig — previous
• German: früher — previous
• German: vorherig — previous
• German: vormalig — previous
• German: alt — previous
• Greek: πρώην (próin) — previous
• Ancient Greek: πρότερος (próteros) — previous
• Higaonon: daan — previous
• Hindi: पूर्ववर्ती (pūrvavartī) — previous
• Hindi: पिछला (pichlā) — previous
• Hungarian: előző — previous
• Hungarian: előbbi — previous
• Hungarian: korábbi — previous
• Hungarian: egykori — previous
• Hungarian: hajdani — previous
• Indonesian: mantan — previous
• Italian: precedente — previous
• Italian: anteriore — previous
• Italian: ex — previous
• Japanese: 前 (mae) — previous
• Khmer: អតីត (ʼaʼdət) — previous
• Korean: 전의 (jeon-ui) — previous
• Central Kurdish: پێشوو (pêşû) — previous
• Central Kurdish: بەرتر (bertir) — previous
• Latin: anterior — previous
• Latin: quondam — previous
• Macedonian: претходен (prethoden) — previous
• Macedonian: бивш (bivš) — previous
• Malay: bekas — previous
• Malay: mantan — previous
• Manchu: ᠨᡝᠨᡝᡥᡝ (nenehe) — previous
• Manchu: ᠨᡝᠨᡝᠮᡝ (neneme) — previous
• Māori: o mua — previous
• Norwegian Bokmål: forhenværende — previous
• Norwegian Bokmål: tidligere — previous
• Norwegian Nynorsk: førverande — previous
• Norwegian Nynorsk: tidlegare — previous
• Occitan: anterior — previous
• Pashto: پخوانی (pëxwânay) — previous
• Persian: سابق (sâbeq) — previous
• Persian: قدیم (qadim) — previous
• Persian: اسبق (asbaq) — previous
• Polish: były — previous
• Portuguese: anterior — previous
• Portuguese: ex- — previous
• Russian: бы́вший (bývšij) — previous
• Russian: пре́жний (préžnij) — previous
• Russian: предыду́щий (predydúščij) — previous
• Scots: umwhile — previous
• Serbo-Croatian: пре́тходан — previous
• Serbo-Croatian: би̑вшӣ — previous
• Serbo-Croatian: préthodan — previous
• Serbo-Croatian: bȋvšī — previous
• Slovak: bývalý — previous
• Slovene: prejšnji — previous
• Slovene: bivši — previous
• Spanish: anterior — previous
• Spanish: antiguo — previous
• Swedish: före detta — previous
• Swedish: forna — previous
• Swedish: förra — previous
• Tajik: пешина (pešina) — previous
• Telugu: ముందరి (mundari) — previous
• Telugu: మునుపటి (munupaṭi) — previous
• Thai: เก่า (gào) — previous
• Thai: ก่อน (gɔ̀ɔn) — previous
• Thai: อดีต (à-dìit) — previous
• Turkish: önce — previous
• Turkish: önceki — previous
• Turkish: eski — previous
• Ukrainian: коли́шній (kolýšnij) — previous
• Uzbek: sobiq — previous
• Vietnamese: cũ — previous
• Vietnamese: xưa — previous
• Vietnamese: nguyên — previous
• Vietnamese: cựu — previous
• Belarusian: пе́ршы (pjéršy) — first of aforementioned two items
• Bulgarian: преди́шен (predíšen) — first of aforementioned two items
• Bulgarian: пръв (prǎv) — first of aforementioned two items
• Chinese Mandarin: 前者 (qiánzhě) — first of aforementioned two items
• Dutch: deze — first of aforementioned two items
• Dutch: eerstgenoemde — first of aforementioned two items
• Finnish: ensimmäinen — first of aforementioned two items
• French: premier — first of aforementioned two items
• French: celui-là — first of aforementioned two items
• German: ersterer — first of aforementioned two items
• German: erstere — first of aforementioned two items
• German: ersteres — first of aforementioned two items
• Hindi: पूर्ववर्ती (pūrvavartī) — first of aforementioned two items
• Hindi: पहला (pahlā) — first of aforementioned two items
• Hungarian: előbbi — first of aforementioned two items
• Indonesian: terdahulu — first of aforementioned two items
• Italian: primo — first of aforementioned two items
• Japanese: 前者 (zensha) — first of aforementioned two items
• Korean: 전자 (jeonja) — first of aforementioned two items
• Norwegian Bokmål: førstnevnt — first of aforementioned two items
• Persian: اولی (avvali) — first of aforementioned two items
• Polish: pierwszy (z dwóch) — first of aforementioned two items
• Portuguese: primeiro — first of aforementioned two items
• Portuguese: aquele — first of aforementioned two items
• Russian: пе́рвый (pérvyj) — first of aforementioned two items
• Slovene: prvi — first of aforementioned two items
• Spanish: primero — first of aforementioned two items
• Spanish: primera — first of aforementioned two items
• Spanish: aquello — first of aforementioned two items
• Spanish: aquella — first of aforementioned two items
• Spanish: aquel — first of aforementioned two items
• Swedish: föregående — first of aforementioned two items
• Thai: ก่อนหน้า — first of aforementioned two items
• Turkish: ilk — first of aforementioned two items
• Ukrainian: пе́рший (péršyj) — first of aforementioned two items
• Vietnamese: trước — first of aforementioned two items