Format Began as a Book Size
A format is the shape or arrangement of something. The word came from printing, where it described how a sheet was folded.
A format is the shape, size and arrangement of something. Printing supplied the word and the concept: *folio*, *quarto* and *octavo* describe how many times a printed sheet was folded, which determined the book's size. Computing borrowed the word for file structures, and broadcasting for the shape of a programme.
- Shape and arrangement. *A new format.*
- A file structure. *An image format.*
- To prepare a disk. *Format the drive.*
- A programme's structure. *A quiz format.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | format | A standard format. |
| Plural | formats | Several formats. |
| Verb | format | Format the text. |
| Past | formatted | Correctly formatted. |
| Related | form | A printed form. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Save it in a different format.Computing.
- Formatting a drive erases it.A warning worth heeding.
- The show was sold as a format.Broadcasting: the structure, licensed abroad.
Traditional book formats
- Folio — the sheet folded once, giving two leaves
- Quarto — folded twice, four leaves
- Octavo — folded three times, eight leaves
- Duodecimo — twelve leaves, a small book
- Shakespeare's First Folio — published in 1623, in the largest format
From French *format*, from Latin *formatus*, formed, from *forma*, a shape. The printing sense came first.
What is a folio?
A book made from sheets folded once, producing large pages. Shakespeare's First Folio is the famous example.
What does formatting a disk do?
It prepares the storage for use by writing a file system structure, which erases existing data.