fortis

American  

[fawr-tis] / ˈfɔr tɪs /

adjective

1. pronounced with considerable muscular tension and breath pressure, resulting in a strong fricative or explosive sound. In stressed position (p, t, k, ch, f, th, s, sh) and sometimes (h) are fortis in English as compared with (b, d, g, j, v, th̸, z, and zh), which are lenis.

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noun

• fortes
  plural

1. a fortis consonant.

fortis British  

/ ˈfɔːtɪs /

adjective

1. (of a consonant) articulated with considerable muscular tension of the speech organs or with a great deal of breath pressure or plosion

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noun

1. a consonant, such as English p or f , pronounced with considerable muscular force or breath pressure

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fortes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fortis

1905–10; < Latin: strong, powerful, firm

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fortis fortes

Instead they found four other known species: V. alginolyticus, V. campbellii, V. fortis and V. parahaemolyticus.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 6, 2023

Derived from the Latin fortis, meaning "strong," it was the watchword of an extraordinary week.

From Time Magazine Archive

The aqua fortis must not be too strong, or the wood will go brown or black.

From Intarsia and Marquetry by F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton) Jackson

Evidently this means what Vasari calls oil of sulphur, aqua fortis.

From Intarsia and Marquetry by F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton) Jackson

This anecdote, as might be expected, has not escaped the aqua fortis of criticism.

From The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

The Seahawks are particularly vulnerable because one of Carroll’s fortes is whipping his team into a frenzy.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2021

The versatile Kelly’s fortes were tap and jazz dancing, and of course he was a swell partner with Caron in his arms.

From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2017

One of Brown’s fortes was damming streams or small rivers to create meandering lakes and ponds that read as great rivers where none flowed.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2016

“One of Woody’s great fortes was coming up with concepts,” Ken Nealson, a microbiologist who worked with Dr. Hastings, said in an interview on Thursday.

From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2014

That period will, as I imagine, arrive in about two months, and till then les assurances les plus fortes sont trop faibles pour mon repos.

From George Selwyn: His Letters and His Life by E. S. Roscoe