pro forma

[ proh fawr-muh ]

adjective

1. according to form; as a matter of form; for the sake of form.
2. Commerce. provided in advance of shipment and merely showing the description and quantity of goods shipped without terms of payment:

   a pro forma invoice.

3. Accounting. indicating hypothetical financial figures based on previous business operations for estimate purposes:

   a pro forma balance sheet.

adverb

1. as a matter of form:

   Many of the school assignments appear to be done pro forma.

noun

, plural pro for·ma, pro for·mas.

1. a pro forma document.

pro forma

/ ˈprəʊ ˈfɔːmə /

adjective

1. prescribing a set form or procedure

adverb

1. performed in a set manner

pro forma

1. Doing something pro forma means satisfying only the minimum requirements of a task and doing it in a perfunctory way: “Her welcoming address was strictly pro forma: you could tell that her mind was a million miles away.” From Latin , meaning “by form.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pro forma¹

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin prō formā

Word History and Origins

Origin of pro forma¹

Latin: for form's sake