former
(adjective) referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several); “the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one”
former, early(a), other
(adjective) belonging to the distant past; “the early inhabitants of Europe”; “former generations”; “in other times”
former, erstwhile(a), old, onetime, one-time, quondam, sometime
(adjective) belonging to some prior time; “erstwhile friend”; “our former glory”; “the once capital of the state”; “her quondam lover”
former
(noun) the first of two or the first mentioned of two; “Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
former (comparative form only)
Previous.
First of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.
• (previous): erstwhile, sometime, whilom, wont-to-be; see also former
• (previous): next; see also subsequent
• (first of aforementioned two items): latter
former (plural formers)
Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.
An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die.
(chiefly, British, used in combinations) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).
• Reform, re-form, reform
Source: Wiktionary
Form"er, n.
1. One who forms; a maker; a creator.
2. (Mech.) (a) A shape around which an article is to be shaped, molded, woven wrapped, pasted, or otherwise constructed. (b) A templet, pattern, or gauge by which an article is shaped. (c) A cutting die.
For"mer, a. Etym: [A compar. due to OE. formest. See Foremost.]
1. Preceding in order of time; antecedent; previous; prior; earlier; hence, ancient; long past. For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age. Job. viii. 8. The latter and former rain. Hosea vi. 3.
3. Near the beginning; preceeding; as, the former part of a discourse or argument.
3. Earlier, as between two things mentioned together; first mentioned. A bad author deserves better usage than a bad critic; a man may be the former merely through the misfortune of an ill judgment; but he can not be latter without both that and an ill temper. Pope.
Syn.
– Prior; previous; anterior; antecedent; preceding; foregoing.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
23 November 2024
(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”
The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.
