Formose

/ˈfɔːmoʊs/ adjective

Definition

Beautiful or elegantly formed; having pleasing shape or appearance (archaic or poetic).

Etymology

From Latin formosus, 'beautiful, well-formed,' from forma, 'shape.' The word directly borrowed classical Latin's aesthetic vocabulary about physical form.

Kelly Says

Formose is nearly extinct English, but it's the actual Latin ancestor of the place-name Formosa—Portuguese colonizers named the island using this ancient word meaning 'beautiful,' and language historians can trace aesthetic judgments through centuries of naming.

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