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Added 9 October 2026

format

/ˈfɔː(ɹ).mæt/ noun

Latin root: liber Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about format at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The layout of a publication or document.
The form of presentation of something.
The type of programming that a radio station broadcasts; such as a certain genre of music, news, sports, talk, etc.
The radio station changed the format of its evening program.

verb

To create or edit the layout of a document.
Change a document so it will fit onto a different type of page.
To prepare a mass storage medium for initial use, erasing any existing data in the process.
I lost weeks of work when I inadvertently formatted my hard drive.

Origin

Via French format and German Format, from New Latin liber fōrmātus (“book fashioned”), from fōrmō (“to shape, fashion”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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