forte

(pronounced fo–rt) an activity one excels in; talent, skill, knack: The painting of landscapes is his forte.; (pronounced for’tay) a direction in music to play loud and with force (opposed to piano, meaning soft; subdued)

Not to be confused with:

fort – a fortified place occupied by troops; an army post: The fort was well guarded.

for·te¹

(fôr′tā′, fôrt)

1. Something in which a person excels: "His forte was in defusing negative rumors before they ever exploded into news accounts" (Jane Mayer).

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.]

Usage Note: Forte, meaning "something in which a person excels," can be pronounced with one syllable, like the French word from which it is derived. It can also be pronounced with two syllables (fôr′tā′), which is the more common pronunciation in American English and was the choice of 74 percent of the Usage Panel in both our 1996 and 2016 surveys. Some of those who dislike the two-syllable pronunciation argue it should only be used for the music term forte, which is derived from Italian.

for·te²

(fôr′tā′) Music

adv. & adj. Abbr. f

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

A note, passage, or chord played forte.

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

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

forte

(fɔːt; ˈfɔːteɪ)

1. something at which a person excels; strong point: cooking is my forte.

2. (Fencing) fencing the stronger section of a sword blade, between the hilt and the middle. Compare foible

[C17: from French fort, from fort (adj) strong, from Latin fortis]

forte

(ˈfɔːtɪ) music

adj, adv

(Music, other) loud or loudly. Symbol: f

(Music, other) a loud passage in music

[C18: from Italian, from Latin fortis strong]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

forte¹

(fɔrt, foʊrt or, for 1, ˈfɔr teɪ)

n.

1. a strong point, as of a person; an ability or role in which one excels; specialty.

2. the part of a sword or foil blade between the hilt and the middle.

[1640–50; earlier fort < Middle French (see fort)]

pron: In the sense of a person's strong point (She draws well, but sculpture is her forte), the older, historical pronunciation of forte is with one syllable: (fôrt) or (fōrt). Perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, borrowed from Italian, a two-syllable pronunciation (fôr′tā) is increasingly heard, esp. from educated speakers, and is now also considered standard.

for•te²

(ˈfɔr teɪ)
Music. adj.

1. loud; with force (opposed to piano).

adv.

2. loudly.

3. a passage that is loud and forcible, or is intended to be so.

[1715–25; < Italian < Latin fortis strong]

forte

loudly

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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

forte

noun speciality, strength, talent, strong point, métier, long suit (informal), gift Originality was never his forte.
failing, defect, shortcoming, imperfection, Achilles heel, weak point, chink in your armour

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

forte

noun

Something at which a person excels:

long suit, métier, specialty, strong point, strong suit.

Slang: bag, thing.

Translations

сила

forte

fortekovavoimakkaasti

abilità particolare forte vigoria

forte

[ˈfɔːtɪ] (US) [fɔːt] N (= strong point) → fuerte m (Mus) → forte m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

forte

[ˈfɔː^rteɪ ˈfɔː^rti] n → (point m) fort m

forte

n (= strong point) → Stärke f, → starke Seite

forte

² (Mus)

adv → laut, forte

adj (= played loudly) → laut or forte gespielt; (= sung loudly) → laut or forte gesungen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

forte

[ˈfɔːtɪ] n → forte m

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