formica

See also: Formica and fórmica

English

Etymology

A genericization of the trademark Formica, which see.

Noun

formica (countable and uncountable, plural formicas)

1. A heat-resistant laminate material used to veneer countertops.

Synonyms

• arborite

Hyponyms

• Formica (the trademarked brand name material)
• Arborite (the trademarked brand name material)

Anagrams

• AFRICOM, aciform

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland):

  (file)

Noun

formica m (plural formicas)

1. formica

Italian

Due formiche – Two ants

Etymology 1

From Latin formīca, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *morwi. Cognates include Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx).

Alternative forms

• formicola

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /forˈmi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ika
• Hyphenation: for‧mì‧ca

Noun

formica f (plural formiche)

1. ant

   Synonym: formicola

Derived terms

• formicaio
• formicaleone
• formichetta
• formichiere
• formichina

 

Related terms

• formica bulldog
• formica sergente
• formico
• formicolare
• formicolio

 

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English Formica.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔr.mi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ɔrmika
• Hyphenation: fòr‧mi‧ca

Noun

formica f (plural formiche)

1. Formica (a plastic laminated material)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔr.mi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ɔrmika
• Hyphenation: fòr‧mi‧ca

Adjective

formica

1. feminine singular of formico

Further reading

• formica in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• formica in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
• formica in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
• formica in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
• formica in sapere.it – De Agostini Editore
• formica in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• cofirma

Latin

Alternative forms

• furmīca (late, proscribed)

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *mormīkā, from Proto-Indo-European *morwi (a term with many deviating forms, probably taboo distortions, in various Indo-European languages). The irregular change of m- to f- can be explained by dissimilation of m- -m- to f- -m-. Cognate with Sanskrit वम्र (vamra), Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx), Old Church Slavonic мравии (mravii), Polish mrówka, Old Irish moirb, Welsh myrion, Old Norse maurr, English mire, Albanian morr.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /forˈmiː.ka/, [fɔrˈmiːkä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /forˈmi.ka/, [forˈmiːkä]

Noun

formīca f (genitive formīcae); first declension

1. ant
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.402–403:

     Ac velut ingentem formīcae farris acervum
     cum populant, hiemīs memorēs, tēctōque repōnunt; [...].

     And just as ants, when they plunder a big heap of grain — mindful of winter — and store it in their nest; [...].

   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Proverbs.6.6:

     vāde ad formīcam ō piger et cōnsīderā viās eius et disce sapientiam

     Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways, and learn wisdom
     (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.; 1752 CE)

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	formīca	formīcae
Genitive	formīcae	formīcārum
Dative	formīcae	formīcīs
Accusative	formīcam	formīcās
Ablative	formīcā	formīcīs
Vocative	formīca	formīcae

Derived terms

• formīcābilis
• formīcātiō
• formīcīnus
• formīcō
• formīcōsus
• formīcula

 

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: furnicã, furnigã, furigã, furicã, sfãrnicã, sfãrnigã
  • Istro-Romanian: frunigĕ
  • Megleno-Romanian: furnigă
  • Romanian: furnică
• Dalmatian:
  • formaica
• Istriot:
  • furmeîga
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: formica
  • Sicilian: furmicula
• North-Italian:
  • Friulian: furmie
  • Gallo-Italic:
    • Emilian: furmiga, formiga, furmigra, formigla, fermigra
    • Ligurian: formîgoa, fromîgoa, fuimîa
    • Lombard: formiga, furmiga, formea
    • Piedmontese: furmija, furmìa, formija, formìa, fermìa
  • Romansch: furmicla
  • Venetian: formìga
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Bourguignon: fremi, formi, feurmi, fremin
  • Franco-Provençal: fromia
  • French: fourmi
  • Norman: frémille, fouormin
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Catalan: formiga, forniga
  • Gascon: hromiga, ahromiga, hormiga, hormic
  • Occitan: formiga

    Limousin: fermic, furmic

    Provençal: forniga

    Vivaro-Alpine: formija, formiza, fremiza

• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: fornica, forniga, formiga
  • Asturian: formiga
  • Mirandese: formiga
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: formiga
    • Fala: furniga, fulmiga, furmiga
    • Galician: formiga
    • Portuguese: formiga (see there for further descendants)
  • Spanish: hormiga
• Sardinian:
  • formiga (Limba Sarda Comuna)
• Borrowings:
  • → English: formic
  • → Translingual: Formica

References

• “formica”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “formica”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• formica in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• formica in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.