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

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Etymology

Origin of fortis

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

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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

By accident a few drops of aqua fortis fell upon his spectacles.

From The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 3 May 1906 by Various

It kept growing again, so, in order to destroy its root, as he said, he rubbed it with what I suppose was aqua fortis, for it caused me a horrible pain.

From Bartholomew Sastrow Being the Memoirs of a German Burgomaster by Bartholomew Sastrow

Sutter read up the account of gold in an encyclopedia, tested the substance with aqua fortis, weighed it, and decided that Marshall was right, and that the material he had found was undoubtedly gold.

From The Greater Republic A History of the United States by Charles Morris

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

Mr. Woollard believes lighting was one of Mr. Walter’s fortes and would particularly suit a buyer with an art collection to display.

From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2016

Latin is the tongue of Caesars and senators, fortes conquerors and preux chevaliers.

From Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings — Volume 02 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton

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