| 释义 |
▪ I. former, n.1|ˈfɔːmə(r)|
[f. form v. + -er1.]
1. One who forms or gives form to something; a maker, creator, fashioner, framer.
c1340Cursor M. 24411 (Fairf.) Þe elementis þen mirkenid alle quen þai sagh þaire fourmer falle. c1386Chaucer Doctor's T. 19 He that is the former principal Hath maked me his vicaire general, To forme and peynten erthely creaturis Right as me list. c1400Mandeville (1839) Prol. 2 He that was formyour of alle the World. 1552Huloet, Brycke former or maker. 1610Healey St. Aug. Citie of God xii. xxvi. (1620) 443 Porphyry..affirmeth directly that these gods..are but the forgers of our prisons, and not our formers but only our iaylors. 1678Cudworth Intell. Syst. 440 The Framer and Former of the Vniverse. a1711Ken Christophil Poet. Wks. 1721 I. 456 Thou in the New Creation art The Former of the Heart. 1841D'Israeli Amen. Lit. (1867) 102 The first former of the vernacular literature of Italy. 1891Bookseller July 647/2 The writer does not concern himself with education as a former of character.
†2. An instructor, instigator. Obs. (Cf. form v.1 2.)
1401Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 42 Iak Uplond..thourȝ formyng of his formere thus freyneth a frere. Ibid. 43 Jak, thi formur is a fole, that thus thee hath yfourmed, to make so lewid an argument.
3. a. Applied to various instruments or tools used in forming articles (see quots.).
1847Halliwell, Former..also an instrument for holding different pieces of a table together. 1874Knight Dict. Mech., Former, a templet, pattern, or gage by which an article is shaped, as pottery or an object in the lathe. A cutter by which patterns, blanks, wads or pieces are cut from sheets for various purposes. 1884F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 129 For polishing, formers of brass to begin..For soft stones the formers are of lead. 1888Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin., Former or Copy, the templet used for the cutting of wheel teeth, and other works in copying machines.
b. Gunnery, etc. (See quot. 1867.)
1644H. Manwayring Sea-mans Dict., A Former is a peece of wood, turned round, somewhat lesse then the bore of the Peece for which it is made..The use whereof, is to make upon it Paper Carthrages or Linnen Carthrages. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. 86 Dip an Inch of the Case in Water, the Formor in him. 1794Nelson 9 July in Nicolas Disp. (1845) I. 430 The Victory has a Former for twenty-six pounders. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Former, a small cylindrical piece of wood on which musket or pistol cartridge-cases are rolled and formed. The name is also applied to the flat piece of wood with a hole in the centre used for making wads, but which is properly form. 1873E. Spon Workshop Receipts Ser. i. 124 To roll up the cases [of rockets] you must have a smooth round ruler, or, as it is called, a former.
c. (See quot.)
1802C. James Milit. Dict., Formers were likewise used among officers and soldiers to reduce their clubs [club n. 6] to a uniform shape, before the general introduction of tails.
d. Electr. A frame or core about which a coil is wound.
1891J. W. Urquhart Dynamo Constr. v. 76 The first matter to attend to in winding the bobbins is to ensure that there shall be no possibility of metallic contact between the wire and..the metal of the reel or former. 1910Encycl. Brit. VIII. 772/1 The coils are either wound by hand directly on to the armature core, or are shaped on formers prior to being inserted in the armature slots. 1943Electronic Engin. XVI. 80/2 A high quality ceramic coil former..for aerial coupling coils.
e. Aeronaut. A transverse member that strengthens and gives shape to a wing or fuselage.
1919H. Shaw Text-bk. Aeronaut. ix. 110 In order to maintain the front portion of the upper surface [of the wing] it is customary to place false ribs or formers from the leading edge to the main spar. 1930Flight 28 Nov. 1384/2 The fuselage formers or frames..are attached to the longerons by angle-section brackets. 1951‘N. Shute’ Round Bend 261 The great empty cabin, floored with duralumin, with bare stringers and formers supporting the outer skin of the walls. 1966D. Stinton Anat. of Aeroplane 203 The skin is usually formed of metal sheets riveted, or spot-welded, to metal frames, formers and bulkheads.
4. attrib. and Comb., as former-wound a., of an armature coil, wound on a former before being mounted.
1902Encycl. Brit. XXVII. 583/2 The former-wound coils have the advantage that they are perfectly symmetrical and interchangeable. 1906A. Russell Treat. Altern. Curr. II. 328 The winding of the stator of a polyphase motor is simple. It may be made up of rectangular former-wound coils, that is, coils which are wound into shape on a rectangular wooden block before being fixed on the stator. 1940[see bar-wound adj.].
▪ II. † ˈformer, n.2 Obs.
Also 6 formour.
[ad. OF. formoir chisel, f. form-er to form; subsequently altered into fermoir: see firmer.]
A kind of chisel or gouge, used by carpenters and masons (see quot. 1688; the description may have been influenced by false etymology).
1530Palsgr. 222/1 Formour or grublyng yron. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. 83 The mason [hath] his former, and his plaine. 1688R. Holme Armoury iii. viii. §135 The second is termed a Former, it is a Chissel used before the Paring Chissel in all works. Ibid. ix. §142 The Clenser, or Former, is a broad ended Iron Plate, or Old [? Cold] Chessel, with a broad bottom, set in an Handle; with which Tool they smooth and make even the Stone after it is cut into that form and Order, as the Work-man will have it. 1727–51Chambers Cycl. s.v. Chissel, The chissels used in carpentry and joinery are, 1. The former, which is used first of all before the paring-chissel, and just after the work is scribed.
▪ III. former, a.|ˈfɔːmə(r)|
Also 2–4 formere, 6 formar(e, (Sc. formair), 7 formore.
[First recorded in the 12th century; a comparative formed on the analogy of formest, foremost. In 16–17th c. the ending was sometimes assimilated to more.]
1. a. Earlier in time. Now chiefly in the more specific sense: Pertaining to the past, or to a period or occasion anterior to that in question.
The sense ‘the earlier of two’ (in strictly temporal application) is obs. or arch. exc. with reference to the halves of a period of time.
c1160Hatton Gosp. Matt. xxi. 36 Ða sende he eft oðre þeowas selre þanne þa formere [earlier text þa ærran] wæron. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 363 Þe pope may..revoke his former errour. 1545Joye Exp. Dan. viii. 126 As the later waues thruste forthe the former sourges. 1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 104 In my former letters. 1611Bible Hos. vi. 3 He shall come vnto vs..as the latter and former raine. 1632J. Lee Short Surv. 73 Having..the next yeare gathered together a farre greater army then the former. 1642Perkins Prof. Bk. vii. §479. 210 The testament..shall stand, notwithstanding that it hath the former date and was written before the other testament. 1676Dryden Aurengz. iv. i. 1589 Trust on, and think to Morrow will repay: To Morrow's falser than the former Day. 1699W. Dampier Voy. II. i. 177 The former part of the night we had much Rain. 1711Addison Spect. No. 94 ⁋8 With many melancholy Reflexions upon his former and his present State of Life. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxvi, Eva appeared more like her former self than ever she had done since her sickness. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 176 The admission of that, he replied, would belie our former admissions.
†b. followed by than. Obs. rare.
1382Wyclif John i. 30 He was the formere than I. 1611Speed Theat. Gt. Brit. (1614) 138/1 All which shew a former interest for Ireland then that which by conquest under Henry the second was made.
†c. In ME. it sometimes took the place of the earlier forme, first, primeval, as in former father, former days; with similar sense the former age (Chaucer).
a1300Cursor M. 5464 (Gött.) Jacob..to his former fadris ferd. Ibid. 9156 (Gött.) He was þe first..Þat ded men raysed in former dais [Cott. in form dais]. c1374Chaucer Former Age 2 A Blysful lyf..Ledden the peoples in the former age. c1400Mandeville (1839) Prol. 2 The Synne of oure formere Fader Adam. 1529Sir T. More Dyaloge 126 a/2 From oure formar father Adam to y⊇ laste day.
d. Formerly possessed, occupied, frequented, etc.
1388Wyclif Judg. xvi. 28 Ȝelde thou now to me the formere strengthe, that Y venge me of myn enemyes. 1607Shakes. Cor. v. iii. 202 Out of that Ile worke My selfe a former Fortune. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 153 In Peace t' enjoy his former Palms and Pains. Ibid. iv. 790 This finish'd, to the former Woods repair.
e. Used to designate a former holder of an office; = British ex-. U.S.
1905N.Y. Herald 5 Feb. 47 Former President Cleveland is among the arrivals of the week at the Lakewood Hotel. 1919Mencken Amer. Lang. iv. 118 Such clumsy quasi-titles as ex-United States Senator,..and former Chief of the Fire Department. 1948Minneapolis Morn. Tribune 28 Sept. 1/6 Sen. George Wilson, threatened by Democratic former Sen. Guy M. Gillette, was frankly warned by Dewey's advisers to intensify his campaign. 1970Encycl. Brit. XXII. 650/1 President Hayes..appointed former Senator David M. Key..to his cabinet.
2. With reference to order. the former (often absol., with ellipsis of n.):
a. The first of two. † Also, the (immediately) preceding; and occas. in connexion with a cardinal numeral = first a. 2 e.
1588A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. H iij, In y⊇ ȝere besydes y⊇ 52 owkes yair is ane day ode, quhilk makis y⊇ dominical lettre to be changeit euerie ȝere in the formair. 1609Bible (Douay) 2 Kings Comm., In the seventene former chapters, are recorded [etc.]..The other eight chapters conteine other thinges donne in Juda. a1703Burkitt On N.T. Mark iii. 4 The former part of this chapter reports to us a miraculous cure. 1824L. Murray Eng. Gram. (ed. 5) I. 348 Of dissyllables, formed by affixing a termination, the former syllable is commonly accented.
b. The first mentioned of two; opposed to latter.
A use app. of late introduction, but now so prominent that the other uses have become restricted to contexts in which the word could not be misinterpreted in this sense.
1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. iv. §3 Of the former kinde are all manner vertuous duties. 1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. xiii. 80 Wisedome and Fortune combatting together, If that the former dare but what it can, No chance may shake it. 1674tr. Scheffer's Lapland 84 Two doors, one, a foredoor, and the other, a backward; the former bigger and more ordinarily used, the latter less. 1717Pope Wks. Pref., A bad Author deserves better usage than a bad Critic; a man may be the former merely thro' the misfortune of an ill judgment, but [etc.]. 1789Bentham Princ. Legisl. xvii. §6 The latter mode is not less certain than the former. 1841Lane Arab. Nts. I. 76 Therefore, in this work, I call the former ‘a piece of gold’, and the latter ‘a piece of silver’. 1886A. Winchell Walks & Talks Geol. Field 180 The former locality..has for many years been a favourite collecting-ground of geologists.
†c. Spoken of before, aforesaid. Obs.
1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 14 She presently threw herself from the former rock, and so she ended.
†3. Situated more forward; front, fore. Obs.
1382Wyclif 2 Macc. iii. 25 He with fersnesse..rushide the former feet to Heliodore. a1400Octouian 1040 Two bole⁓axys..In hys former arsun were y-honge. 1544T. Phaer Regim. Life (1560) S v b, Apply it to the former part of y⊇ heade. 1558Will of R. Fetlawe (Somerset Ho.), Rynge that I weare upon my former fynger. 1593Rites of Durham (Surtees) 17 In the former part of the Quire. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. v. i. 80 Comming from Sardis, on our former Ensigne Two mighty Eagles fell, and there they pearch'd. 1668Culpepper & Cole Barthol. Anat. i. iv. 7 In the former part of a Mans Neck. 1678tr. Gaya's Art of War ii. 66 To fire in gaining of ground, the Battalion is commanded to advance as fast as the former Ranks discharge.
4. In the absol. or elliptical use, sometimes inflected as a n.
†a. With plural suffix (obs. rare).
b. With genitive suffix.
a.1548W. Patten Exped. Scot. Pref. A iij a, We must be content in commune speche to vse the termes of our formers deuised. 1606Warner Alb. Eng. xv. xciii. 374 Pictish Britons did Brittish Reuolts inuaid, Because those Lattres (basely thought those Formers) Rome obaid.
b.1613T. Jackson Comm. Apost. Creede i. 380 The manner..of the formers dissolution. 1824L. Murray Eng. Gram. (ed. 5) I. 102 The former's phlegm was a check upon the latter's vivacity. |