Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /ˈfɔːr.teɪ/

FORTE

What does "FORTE" mean?

A person's strong point, or in music a direction to play loudly.

Meanings

  1. A thing at which someone excels; a strong point. Small talk has never been my forte.
  2. In music, played or sung loudly and forcefully. The score is marked forte at the climax. technical
  3. The strong part of a sword blade, nearest the hilt. He parried with the forte of his blade. technical

Did you know?

  • The piano got its name from 'forte': its full original name 'pianoforte' meant 'soft-loud', highlighting that it could do both, unlike the one-volume harpsichord.

Word origin

The 'strong point' sense comes from French 'fort' (strong); the musical sense comes from Italian 'forte' (loud, strong). Both ultimately derive from Latin 'fortis' (strong).

Remember it

FORTE shares its root with FORT and FORTRESS - all built on Latin 'fortis', strong; your forte is your strongest wall.

A little poem

Everyone has one thing-
the chord they strike without looking,
the loud part written in.

tercet

Wordplay

  • The pianist said modesty was her forte. The conductor disagreed - he'd marked that passage fortissimo.

What it teaches

Your forte is the note you can strike in the dark; build the rest of the song around it.

Quick facts

What does FORTE mean?

A person's strong point, or in music a direction to play loudly.

Is FORTE a valid word?

Yes — FORTE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is FORTE?

FORTE has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does FORTE come from?

The 'strong point' sense comes from French 'fort' (strong); the musical sense comes from Italian 'forte' (loud, strong). Both ultimately derive from Latin 'fortis' (strong).

What can FORTE teach us?

Your forte is the note you can strike in the dark; build the rest of the song around it.

How players do

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