forte

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.

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[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.

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for·te ²  (fôrt) Music

adv. & adj. Abbr. f

In a loud, forceful manner. Used chiefly as a direction.

n.

A note, passage, or chord played forte.

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[Italian, strong, forte, from Latin fortis; see bhergh-² in Indo-European roots.]

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forte ¹ [for-tay]

Noun

something at which a person excels: cooking is his forte [Latin fortis strong]

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forte ²

Adverb

Music loudly [Italian]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	forte - an asset of special worth or utility; "cooking is his forte" metier, speciality, specialty, strong point, strong suit, long suit, strength asset, plus - a useful or valuable quality green fingers, green thumb - a special ability to make plants grow
	2.	forte - (music) loud fortissimo 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" loud 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 loudly piano, softly - used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly

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forte

noun speciality, strength, talent, strong point, métier, long suit (informal) gift << OPPOSITE weak point

Translations

forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] n → fuerte m

forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] n → (point) fort m

forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] n → Stärke f, starke Seite f

forte [ˈfɔːtɪ] n → forte m