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former

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former

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Former  \For"mer\,  a.  [A  compar.  due  to  OE  formest.  See 
  {Foremost}.] 
  1.  Preceding  in  order  of  time;  antecedent;  previous;  prior; 
  earlier;  hence  ancient;  long  past. 
 
  For  inquire,  I  pray  thee,  of  the  former  age.  --Job. 
  viii.  8. 
 
  The  latter  and  former  rain.  --Hosea  vi  3. 
 
  3.  Near  the  beginning;  preceeding;  as  the  former  part  of  a 
  discourse  or  argument. 
 
  3.  Earlier,  as  between  two  things  mentioned  together;  first 
  mentioned. 
 
  A  bad  author  deserves  better  usage  than  a  bad 
  critic;  a  man  may  be  the  former  merely  through  the 
  misfortune  of  an  ill  judgment;  but  he  can  not  be 
  latter  without  both  that  and  an  ill  temper.  --Pope. 
 
  Syn:  Prior;  previous;  anterior;  antecedent;  preceding; 
  foregoing. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Former  \Form"er\,  n. 
  1.  One  who  forms;  a  maker;  a  creator. 
 
  2.  (Mech.) 
  a  A  shape  around  which  an  article  is  to  be  shaped, 
  molded,  woven  wrapped,  pasted,  or  otherwise 
  constructed. 
  b  A  templet,  pattern,  or  gauge  by  which  an  article  is 
  shaped. 
  c  A  cutting  die. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  former 
  adj  1:  referring  to  the  first  of  two  things  or  persons  mentioned 
  (or  the  earlier  one  or  ones  of  several);  "the  novel 
  was  made  into  a  film  in  1943  and  again  in  1967;  I 
  prefer  the  former  version  to  the  latter  one"  [syn:  {former(a)}] 
  [ant:  {latter(a)}] 
  2:  belonging  to  some  prior  time;  "erstwhile  friend";  "our 
  former  glory";  "the  once  capital  of  the  state";  "her 
  quondam  lover"  [syn:  {erstwhile(a)},  {former(a)},  {once(a)}, 
  {onetime(a)},  {quondam(a)},  {sometime(a)}] 
  3:  (used  especially  of  persons)  of  to  the  immediate  past;  "the 
  former  president";  "our  late  President  is  still  very 
  active";  "the  previous  occupant  of  the  White  House"  [syn: 
  {former(a)},  {late(a)},  {previous(a)}] 
  4:  of  the  distant  past;  "the  early  inhabitants  of  Europe"; 
  "former  generations";  "in  other  times"  [syn:  {early(a)},  {former(a)}, 
  {other(a)}] 
  n  :  the  first  of  two  or  the  first  mentioned  of  two  "Tom  and 
  Dick  were  both  heroes  but  only  the  former  is  remembered 
  today"  [ant:  {latter}]




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