ferme

See also: fermé, fèrme, and fermë

English

Noun

ferme (plural fermes)

1. (cant) A hole.

References

• OED2
• 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛʁm/

• audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle French ferme, from Old French ferm, ferme (“solid”), from Latin firmus (“solid, secure”), from Proto-Italic *fermos, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-mo-s (“holding”), from the root *dʰer- (“to hold”)

Adjective

ferme (plural fermes)

1. firm

Synonyms

• dur
• décidé

Noun

ferme f (plural fermes)

1. (carpentry) roof truss

Verb

ferme

1. inflection of fermer:
   1. first-person and third-person singular present indicative and subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Etymology 2

From Middle French ferme (“farm, farm buildings”), from Old French ferme (“lease for working, rent, farm”), from Medieval Latin ferma, firma (“rent, tax, tribute, farm”), from Old English feorm (“rent, provision, supplies, feast”), from Proto-Germanic *fermō, *firhuma- (“means of living, subsistence”), from Proto-Germanic *ferhwō (“life force, body, being”), from Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- (“life, force, strength, tree”). Related to Old English feorh (“life, spirit”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍈𐌿𐍃 (fairƕus, “the world”). Compare also Old English feormehām (“farm”), feormere (“purveyor”).

Noun

ferme f (plural fermes)

1. farm

Further reading

• “ferme”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Italian

Adjective

ferme f pl

1. (deprecated template usage) Feminine plural of adjective fermo.

Noun

ferme f pl

1. plural of ferma

Anagrams

• freme, fremé

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Latin

Etymology

From *ferimē, earlier superlative of ferē, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“to hold”). Cognates include firmus.

Adverb

fermē (not comparable)

1. Closely, quite, entirely, fully, altogether, just.
2. In general, generally, usually, commonly, for most of the time.

References

• “ferme”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ferme”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ferme in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

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Middle French

Etymology

From Old French ferm, ferme (“solid”), from Latin firmus (“solid, secure”), from Proto-Indo-European *dher(ə)-, *dhrē- (“to hold”).

Adjective

ferme m or f (plural fermes)

1. firm

Descendants

• French: ferme

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Novial

Noun

1. farm

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Old French

Etymology

From Medieval Latin ferma, firma (“rent, tax, tribute, farm”), from Old English feorm (“rent, provision, supplies, feast”), from Proto-Germanic *firmō, *firhuma- (“means of living, subsistence”), from *firhu- (“life force, body, being”), from Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- (“life, force, strength, tree”).

Noun

ferme oblique singular, f (oblique plural fermes, nominative singular ferme, nominative plural fermes)

1. lease (letting agreement)
2. the land leased
3. farm

Descendants

• Middle English: ferme, farme
  • English: farm
• French: ferme

Adjective

ferme f

1. oblique and nominative singular feminine of ferm