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forte

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
for·te 1  (fôrt, fôrt, frt)
n.
1. Something in which a person excels.
2. The strong part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt.

[French fort, from Old French, strong, from Latin fortis; see fort.]
Synonyms: forte1, métier, specialty, thing
These nouns denote something at which a person is particularly skilled: Writing fiction is her forte. The theater is his métier. The professor's specialty was the study of ancient languages. Mountain climbing is really my thing.
Usage Note: The word forte, coming from French fort, should properly be pronounced with one syllable, like the English word fort. Common usage, however, prefers the two-syllable pronunciation, (fôrt), which has been influenced possibly by the music term forte borrowed from Italian. In a recent survey a strong majority of the Usage Panel, 74 percent, preferred the two-syllable pronunciation. The result is a delicate situation; speakers who are aware of the origin of the word may wish to continue to pronounce it as one syllable but at an increasing risk of puzzling their listeners.

forte 1 [for-tay]
Noun
something at which a person excels: cooking is his forte [Latin fortis strong]

forte 2
Adverb
Music loudly [Italian]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.forteforte - an asset of special worth or utility; "cooking is his forte"
asset, plus - a useful or valuable quality
green fingers, green thumb - a special ability to make plants grow
2.forte - (music) loud
loudness, intensity, volume - the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction); "the kids played their music at full volume"
music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
3.forte - the stronger part of a sword blade between the hilt and the foible
part, portion - something less than the whole of a human artifact; "the rear part of the house"; "glue the two parts together"
sword, steel, blade, brand - a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
Adj.1.forte - used chiefly as a direction or description in music; "the forte passages in the composition"
piano, soft - used chiefly as a direction or description in music; "the piano passages in the composition"
Adv.1.forte - used as a direction in music; to be played relatively loudly
piano, softly - used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly

forte
noun speciality, strength, talent, strong point, métier, long suit (informal) gift << OPPOSITE weak point
Translations
Spanish forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] nfuerte m
French forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] n(point) fort m
German forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] nStärke f, starke Seite f
Italian forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] nforte m

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Running has never been my particular athletic forte, and now when my very life depended upon fleetness of foot I cannot say that I ran any better than on the occasions when my pitiful base running had called down upon my head the rooter's raucous and reproachful cries of "Ice Wagon," and "Call a cab.
You know what my forte is, Gilbert--the fanciful, the fairylike, the pretty.
The other was the Marquis de la Maison Forte, captain of a French frigate which had been taken by Commodore Warren's fleet.
 
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