formica

See also: Formica and fórmica

English

Etymology

Genericized trademark from Formica.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈmaɪkə/

Noun

formica (countable and uncountable, plural formicas)

1. A heat-resistant laminate material used to veneer countertops.

Synonyms

• arborite

Hyponyms

• Formica (the trademarked brand name material)
• Arborite (the trademarked brand name material)

Anagrams

• AFRICOM, aciform

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔʁ.mi.ka/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

Noun

formica m (plural formicas)

1. formica

Italian

Due formiche – Two ants

Etymology 1

From Latin formīca, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *morwi. Cognates include Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx).

Alternative forms

• formicola

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /forˈmi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ika
• Hyphenation: for‧mì‧ca

Noun

formica f (plural formiche)

1. ant

   Synonym: formicola

Derived terms

• formicaio
• formicaleone
• formichetta
• formichiere
• formichina

Related terms

• formica bulldog
• formica sergente
• formico
• formicolare
• formicolio

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English Formica.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔr.mi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ɔrmika
• Hyphenation: fòr‧mi‧ca

Noun

formica f (plural formiche)

1. Formica (a plastic laminated material)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔr.mi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ɔrmika
• Hyphenation: fòr‧mi‧ca

Adjective

formica

1. feminine singular of formico

Further reading

• formica in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• formica in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
• formica in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
• formica in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
• formica in sapere.it – De Agostini Editore
• “formica”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Anagrams

• cofirma

Latin

Alternative forms

• furmīca (Late Latin, proscribed)

Etymology

Traditionally, from a form with earlier initial /m/, such as Proto-Italic *mormīkā, considered to derive from Proto-Indo-European *morwi(s) (“ant”), a term with many deviating forms – probably taboo distortions – in various Indo-European languages. The irregular sound change can be explained by dissimilation of /m…m/ to /f…m/.

Cognates would include Sanskrit वम्र (vamra), Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx), Old Church Slavonic мравии (mravii), Polish mrówka, Old Irish moirb, Welsh myrion, Old Norse maurr, English mire. Compare especially Sanskrit वल्मीक (valmī́ka, “anthill”) and Iron Ossetian мӕлдзыг (mælʒyg, “ant”), which could point to Proto-Indo-European *morm-iH-ko-.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [fɔrˈmiː.ka]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [forˈmiː.ka]

Noun

formīca f (genitive formīcae); first declension

1. ant
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.402–403:

     Ac velut ingentem formīcae farris acervum
     cum populant, hiemīs memorēs, tēctōque repōnunt; [...].

     And just as ants, when they plunder a big heap of grain — mindful of winter — and store it in their nest; [...].

   • c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Proverbs.6.6:

     vāde ad formīcam ō piger et cōnsīderā viās eius et disce sapientiam

     Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways, and learn wisdom
     (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.; 1752 CE)

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	formīca	formīcae
genitive	formīcae	formīcārum
dative	formīcae	formīcīs
accusative	formīcam	formīcās
ablative	formīcā	formīcīs
vocative	formīca	formīcae

Derived terms

• formīcābilis
• formīcātiō
• formīcīnus
• formīcō
• formīcōsus
• formīcula

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: formiga (Limba Sarda Comuna)
• Balkano-Romance:
  • Aromanian: furnicã, furnigã, furigã, furicã, ⇒ sfãrnicã, sfãrnigã
  • Istro-Romanian: frunigĕ
  • Megleno-Romanian: furnigă
  • Romanian: furnică
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Dalmatian: formaica
  • Istriot: furmeîga
  • Italian: formica
  • Venetan: formìga
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: furmie
  • Ladin: formía, furmia
  • Romansh: furmia (Puter, Vallader)
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Emilian: furmîga, formiga
  • Ligurian: fuimîa
  • Lombard: formiga, furmiga, formea
  • Piedmontese: furmija, furmìa, formija, formìa, fermìa
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Franco-Provençal: fromia
  • Old French: furmi (see there for further descendants)
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: formiga, forniga
  • Occitan: formiga

    Gascon: hormiga, hormic, hromiga, ahromiga

    Limousin: fermic, furmic

    Provençal: forniga

    Vivaro-Alpine: formija, formiza, fremiza

• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: fornica, forniga, formiga
  • Asturian: formiga
  • Leonese: formiga
  • Mirandese: formiga
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: formiga
    • Fala: furniga, fulmiga, furmiga
    • Galician: formiga
    • Portuguese: formiga (see there for further descendants)
  • Old Spanish: formiga
    • Spanish: hormiga
      • → Cebuano: holmigas, lamigas
      • → Waray-Waray: haromigas
• Borrowings:
  • → English: formic
  • → Translingual: Formica

References

• “formica”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “formica”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "formica", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “formica”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Verb

formica

1. inflection of formicar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative