Forming

How to spell forming

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce forming

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does forming mean?

1. verbBringing something into a particular shape, structure, or existence; coming together to make a whole.

Forming in a sentence

• The committee is forming a new policy on remote work.

• Storm clouds were forming over the coast by midday.

Where does forming come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'form', which English took from the Old French 'former', meaning 'to shape' or 'to create', itself descended from the Latin 'formare', built on the noun 'forma' meaning 'shape', 'mould', or 'appearance'. The Latin 'forma' was an everyday word for the outline or pattern of a thing, and it gave English a whole family of relatives including 'format', 'uniform', 'reform', and 'formula'. The verb entered Middle English in the 1200s with the sense of giving shape to something, and the participle 'forming' simply adds the native English '-ing' ending that marks ongoing action. Because the base word ends in a single consonant after two vowels rather than a stressed short vowel, the consonant is not doubled, so it is 'forming' and never 'formming'. That regular, predictable spelling is exactly why the word causes few problems for adult writers.

How the word is built

• form (shape, structure)
• -ing (verb inflection / gerund suffix)