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.

---

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

---

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

Different corroding Liquids are sometimes used on these Occasions, Aqua fortis itself, and Spirit of Vitriol: but such Applications are highly dangerous, and ought to be excluded.

From Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health by S. A. D. (Samuel Auguste David) Tissot

Various reagents, including glass-gall, litharge, salt, iron filings, lead, "alkali", talc, argol, saltpetre, sal-ammoniac, alum, vitriol, lime, sulphur, antimony, aqua fortis, or scheidwasser, etc., are made use of.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola

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

“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

Also the Infidels besieged these three castles, namely, Barstenstein, Crutzberg and Kunigsberg, and brought extreame famine vpon the Christians contained within the saide fortes.

From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 05 Central and Southern Europe by Richard Hakluyt