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Form

Because Form is treated as a dialectic of Substance , we can expect any attempt at a formal definition of Form to be rather vague and indistinct. In fact, The Homeless Mathematician will argue that it is a categorical mistake to attempt any definition of Form . This is because any definition is an instance of Reasoning by Analysis . As such, Form is beyond the scope of what may be defined in a comprehensive manner.

The key to a deep understanding of Form is the use of Reasoning by Analogy , as presented in The Paradigm of Form and Substance.

Further, the word Form is rather unusual in that it may be used as either a noun, an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb. This duality of grammatical usage is in conformity to The Canonical Form of Distinction, as detailed in the treatment of Non-Numerical Arithemetic. Specifically, Form may be treat as specifying either intent or content.

The kind reader is invited to study a dictionary definition of Form to determine the veracity of these claims by The Homeless Mathematician.

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Form

noun

  1. a. The shape and structure of an object. b. The body or outward appearance of a person or an animal considered separately from the face or head; figure.
  2. a. The essence of something. b. The mode in which a thing exists, acts, or manifests itself; kind: a form of animal life; a form of blackmail.
  3. a. Procedure as determined or governed by regulation or custom. b. A fixed order of words or procedures, as for use in a ceremony; a formula.
  4. A document with blanks for the insertion of details or information: insurance forms.
  5. a. Manners or conduct as governed by etiquette, decorum, or custom. b. Behavior according to a fixed or accepted standard: Tardiness is considered bad form. c. Performance considered with regard to acknowledged criteria: a good jump shooter having an unusual form.
  6. a. Proven ability to perform: a musician at the top of her form. b. Fitness, as of an athlete or animal, with regard to health or training. c. The past performance of a racehorse. d. A racing form.
  7. a. Method of arrangement or manner of coordinating elements in literary or musical composition or in organized discourse: presented my ideas in outline form; a treatise in the form of a dialogue. b. A particular type or example of such arrangement: The essay is a literary form. c. The design, structure, or pattern of a work of art: symphonic form.
  8. a. A mold for the setting of concrete. b. A model of the human figure or part of it used for displaying clothes. c. A proportioned model that may be adjusted for fitting clothes.
  9. A grade in a British secondary school or in some American private schools: the sixth form.
  10. a. A linguistic form. b. The external aspect of words with regard to their inflections, pronunciation, or spelling: verb forms.
  11. a. Chiefly British. A long seat; a bench. b. The resting place of a hare.
  12. Botany. A subdivision of a variety usually differing in one trivial characteristic, such as flower color.

verb
formed, form·ing, forms verb, transitive

  1. a. To give form to; shape: form clay into figures. b. To develop in the mind; conceive: form an opinion.
  2. a. To shape or mold (dough, for example) into a particular form. b. To arrange oneself in: Holding out his arms, the cheerleader formed a T. The acrobats formed a pyramid. c. To organize or arrange: The environmentalists formed their own party. d. To fashion, train, or develop by instruction or precept: form a child's mind.
  3. To come to have; develop or acquire: form a habit.
  4. To constitute or compose a usually basic element, part, or characteristic of.
  5. a. To produce (a tense, for example) by assuming an inflection: form the pluperfect. b. To make (a word) by derivation or composition.
  6. To put in order; arrange.

verb, intransitive

  1. To become formed or shaped.
  2. To come into being by taking form; arise.
  3. To assume a specified form, shape, or pattern.
[Middle English forme, from Latin forma.]


Synonyms: form, figure, shape, configuration, contour, profile.

These nouns refer to the external outline of a thing.

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Updated 95/11/04 .