forte

views updated Jun 11 2018

for·te1 / ˈfôrˌtā; fôrt/ • n. 1. [in sing.] a thing at which someone excels: small talk was not his forte.2. Fencing the stronger part of a sword blade, from the hilt to the middle. Compare with foible.for·te2 / ˈfôrˌtā/ Mus. • adv. & adj. (esp. as a direction) loud or loudly.• n. a passage performed or marked to be performed loudly.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

forte

views updated May 23 2018

forte1 strong point or feature. XVII (fort). — F. fort, sb. use of adj. (see FORT); the F. fem. form was substituted in Eng. use.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

forte

views updated May 23 2018

forte2 (mus.) loud. XVIII. — It. :- L. fortis strong.
So fortissimo XVIII. — It., superl. of forte.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

forte

views updated May 23 2018

forte (It.). ‘Strong’, i.e. loud (abbreviation f); fortemente, ‘strongly’.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE

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