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formula

[ fawr-myuh-luh ]
/ ˈfɔr myə lə /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR formula

noun, plural for·mu·las, for·mu·lae [fawr-myuh-lee]. /ˈfɔr myəˌli/.

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
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Origin of formula

1575–85; <Latin: register, form, rule. See form, -ule
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to formula

code, creed, canon, credo, precept, rubric, custom, way, theorem, rite, method, blueprint, direction, description, form, maxim, prescription, equation, ritual, principle

Example sentences from the Web for formula

British Dictionary definitions for formula

formula
/ (ˈfɔːmjʊlə) /

noun plural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)

an established form or set of words, as used in religious ceremonies, legal proceedings, etc
maths physics a general relationship, principle, or rule stated, often as an equation, in the form of symbols
chem a representation of molecules, radicals, ions, etc, expressed in the symbols of the atoms of their constituent elementsSee molecular formula, empirical formula, structural formula
  1. a method, pattern, or rule for doing or producing something, often one proved to be successful
  2. (as modifier)formula fiction
  1. a prescription for making up a medicine, baby's food, etc
  2. a substance prepared according to such a prescription
motor racing the specific category in which a particular type of car competes, judged according to engine size, weight, and fuel capacity

Derived forms of formula

formulaic (ˌfɔːmjʊˈleɪɪk), adjective

Word Origin for formula

C17: from Latin: diminutive of forma form
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for formula

formula
[ fôr′myə-lə ]

n. pl. for•mu•las

A symbolic representation of the chemical composition or of the chemical composition and structure of a compound.
The chemical compound so represented.
A prescription of ingredients in fixed proportion; a recipe.
A liquid food for infants, containing most of the nutrients in human milk.
A mathematical statement, especially an equation, of a fact, rule, principle, or other logical relation.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for formula

formula
[ fôr′myə-lə ]

Plural formulas formulae (fôr′myə-lē′)

A set of symbols showing the composition of a chemical compound. A formula lists the elements contained within it and indicates the number of atoms of each element with a subscript numeral if the number is more than 1. For example, H2O is the formula for water, where H2 indicates two atoms of hydrogen and O indicates one atom of oxygen.
A set of symbols expressing a mathematical rule or principle. For example, the formula for the area of a rectangle is a = lw, where a is the area, l the length, and w the width.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.