*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of forte

Borrowed 1640–50; earlier fort < Middle French; disyllabic pronunciation by association with Italian forte, from Latin fortis (“strong”). Doublet of fort and fortis.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A strength or talent; a strong point. · The strong part of a sword blade, close to the hilt.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed 1640–50; earlier fort < Middle French; disyllabic pronunciation by association with Italian forte, from Latin fortis (“strong”). Doublet of fort and fortis.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰerǵʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "it",
        "2": "forte"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian forte"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fortis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "strong"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fortis (“strong”)"
    },
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    }
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      "fort"
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      "forte",
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    ],
    [
      "fort",
      "fort#English"
    ],
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      "fortis",
      "fortis#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A passage in music to be played loudly; a loud section of music.

adv

Loudly, as a dynamic in a piece of music.

adj

Loud.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Italian forte (“strong”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionforteit
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "expansion": "Italian forte (“strong”)"
    }
  ],
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    [
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A passage in music to be played loudly; a loud section of music."
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        "Loud."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for forte →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Zm9ydGU