forte
1[ fawrt, fohrt or, for 1, fawr-tey ]
/ fɔrt, foʊrt or, for 1, ˈfɔr teɪ /
noun
a person's strong suit, or most highly developed characteristic, talent, or skill; something that one excels in: I don't know what her forte is, but it's not music.
the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt (opposed to foible).
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Origin of forte
1SYNONYMS FOR forte
pronunciation note for forte
In the sense of a person's strong suit ( He draws well, but sculpture is his real forte ), the older and historical pronunciation of forte is the one-syllable [fawrt] /fɔrt/ or [fohrt], /foʊrt/, pronounced as the English word fort. The word is derived from the French word fort, meaning “strong.” A two-syllable pronunciation [fawr-tey] /ˈfɔr teɪ/ is increasingly heard, especially from younger educated speakers, perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, pronounced in English as [fawr-tey] /ˈfɔr teɪ/ and in Italian as [fawr-te]. /ˈfɔr tɛ/. Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.
popular references for forte
—FORTE: An acronym for Fast On-orbit Rapid Recording of Transient Events, FORTE is a lightweight satellite orbiting earth since August 1997. It is the first satellite made of an all-composite structure, and was designed to test new technologies for monitoring compliance with arms control treaties.
—Forte: A character in the 1997 animated film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. The actor Tim Curry provided the voice for Forte, who is a pipe organ.
—Kia Forte: A compact car manufactured by Kia Motors since 2008 and marketed worldwide.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH forte
fort, forte (see pronunciation note at the current entry)Words nearby forte
Definition for forte (2 of 2)
forte2
[ fawr-tey; Italian fawr-te ]
/ ˈfɔr teɪ; Italian ˈfɔr tɛ /
adjective
(a direction in a musical score or part) loud; with force (opposed to piano).
adverb
(a direction in a musical score or part) loudly.
noun
a passage that is loud and played with force or is marked to be so. Abbreviation: f
Origin of forte
21715–25; <Italian <Latin fortis strong
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for forte
British Dictionary definitions for forte (1 of 2)
forte1
/ (fɔːt, ˈfɔːteɪ) /
noun
something at which a person excels; strong pointcooking is my forte
Word Origin for forte
C17: from French fort, from fort (adj) strong, from Latin fortis
British Dictionary definitions for forte (2 of 2)
forte2
/ (ˈfɔːtɪ) music /
adjective, adverb
loud or loudlySymbol: f
noun
a loud passage in music
Word Origin for forte
C18: from Italian, from Latin fortis strong
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
Cultural definitions for forte
notes for forte
The common keyboard instrument the pianoforte (“piano” for short) got its name because it could play both soft and loud notes.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.