forte

¹

[ fawrt, fohrt fawr-tey ]

noun

1. a person's strong suit, or most highly developed characteristic, talent, or skill; something that one excels in:

   I don't know what her forte is, but it's not music.

   Synonyms: bent, knack, proficiency, specialty, strong suit, excellence, skill, talent, strength

2. the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt ( foible ).

forte

²

[ fawr-tey; Italian fawr-te ]

adjective

1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loud; with force ( piano ).

adverb

1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loudly.

noun

1. a passage that is loud and played with force or is marked to be so. : f

forte

¹

/ ˈfɔːtɪ /

adjective

1. loud or loudly f

noun

1. a loud passage in music

forte

²

/ fɔːt; ˈfɔːteɪ /

noun

1. something at which a person excels; strong point

   cooking is my forte

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

forte

1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed loudly”; the opposite of piano .

Pronunciation Note

In the sense of a person's strong suit ( He draws well, but sculpture is his real forte ), the older and historical pronunciation of forte is the one-syllable [fawrt] or [fohrt], pronounced as the English word fort. The word is derived from the French word fort, meaning “strong.” A two-syllable pronunciation [fawr, -tey] is increasingly heard, especially from younger educated speakers, perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, pronounced in English as [fawr, -tey] and in Italian as [fawr, -te]. Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.

Notes

The common keyboard instrument the pianoforte (“ piano ” for short) got its name because it could play both soft and loud notes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of forte¹

First recorded in 1640–50; earlier fort, from Middle French noun use of adjective fort “strong, powerful”; fort; disyllabic pronunciation by association with forte ²

Origin of forte²

1715–25; < Italian < Latin fortis strong

Word History and Origins

Origin of forte¹

C18: from Italian, from Latin fortis strong

Origin of forte²

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

Example Sentences

But, taken together with her Netflix teen hit Never Have I Ever, College Girls suggests that coming-of-age stories might be her forte.

From Time

Problem-solving has always been our forte, but we have to be even more creative now as data is taken away, more of our processes are being automated, and we have to expand beyond our own siloes to get things done.

From Search Engine Land

Some people like socializing online, but in-person is my forte.

From Washington Post

While he may not fall into a particular comic style, his forte is targeting politicians vis-à-vis pranks, sketches, skits and other forms of comedy.

From Ozy

Large quantities aren’t this model’s forte, but it can froth single drinks in a hurry.

From Popular-Science

The next morning, guests boarded private jets to Florence for the ceremony at the Forte di Belvedere, rented for a cool $400,000.

From The Daily Beast

Mumford Sons, “Hopeless Wanderer” That one time Jason Bateman, Ed Helms, Will Forte, and Jason Sudeikis had a jam session.

From The Daily Beast

The latest luxury hotel group to cave was Rocco Forte Hotels, which announced last month that in-room Wi-Fi is now free.

From The Daily Beast

If fashion is more your forte, there are even pieces of haute couture and sportswear in the show.

From The Daily Beast

Then, he engages in a full-on make-out session with his former SNL compadre Will Forte, sporting a bushy beard.

From The Daily Beast

An ear accustomed to the fine tone of a good violin will not now tolerate a bad piano-forte.

From Project Gutenberg

Et depuis ils allerent cotoyans la terre, en forte que le 21.

From Project Gutenberg

She was even allowed, through her friends, to procure a piano-forte, which afforded her many hours of recreation.

From Project Gutenberg

This is his great forte, and to hear him speak, sends a thrill through the whole system, and a tremor through the brain.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Conner taught the piano forte in the best families in the city of Philadelphia—among merchants, bankers, and professional men.

From Project Gutenberg