Transformed

How to spell transformed

11 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce transformed

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does transformed mean?

1. verbChanged something completely in form, appearance, or character.

Transformed in a sentence

• The renovation completely transformed the cramped flat into an open studio.

• New management transformed the struggling company within two years.

Where does transformed come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past form of 'transform', which English took from the Latin verb transformare, a compound of trans, meaning 'across' or 'over', and formare, meaning 'to shape' or 'to form', itself built on forma, the noun for a shape or figure. The literal sense was therefore 'to shape across', that is, to change one shape into another. English adopted the word in the 1300s through Old French transformer, and from the start it carried the idea of a thorough change of appearance or character. The -ed ending is simply the regular English past marker added to the borrowed stem, so the spelling stays predictable once you recognise the three pieces. The same forma root sits inside familiar relatives such as 'reform', 'uniform', and 'format', all of which keep that core notion of shape.

How the word is built

• trans- (across, beyond)
• form (from Latin forma: shape, form)
• -ed (past-tense/participle suffix)