inform

See also: in form and inform.

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɔɹm/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɔːm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)m

Etymology 1

From Middle English informen, enformen, borrowed from Old French enformer, informer (“to train, instruct, inform”), from Latin īnfōrmō (“to shape, form, train, instruct, educate”), from in- (“into”) + fōrma (“form, shape”), equivalent to in- +‎ form.

Alternative forms

• enform (obsolete)

Verb

inform (third-person singular simple present informs, present participle informing, simple past and past participle informed)

1. (archaic, transitive) To instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge).
2. (transitive) To communicate knowledge to.
   • (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     For he would learn their business secretly, / And then inform his master hastily.

   • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:

     I am informed thoroughly of the cause.

3. (intransitive) To impart information or knowledge.
4. To act as an informer; denounce.
5. (transitive) To give form or character to; to inspire (with a given quality); to affect, influence (with a pervading principle, idea etc.).
   • 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:

     WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.

   His sense of religion informs everything he writes.

   • 1697, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432, lines 1169-1170, page 397:

     Let others better mould the running mass / Of metals, and inform the breathing brass

   • 1858, Matthew Prior, The poetical works of Matthew Prior, Edinburgh: Printed by Ballantyne and Company, line 401, page 120:

     O! long as breath informs this fleeting frame / Ne'er let me pass in silence Dorset's name

6. (obsolete, intransitive) To make known, wisely and/or knowledgeably.
7. (obsolete, transitive) To direct, guide.
8. (archaic, intransitive) To take form; to become visible or manifest; to appear.
   • c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene i]:

     It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes.

Synonyms

• (communicate knowledge to (trans.)): acquaint, apprise, notify; See also Thesaurus:inform
• (act as informer): dob, name names, peach, snitch; See also Thesaurus:rat out
• (take form): materialize, take shape; See also Thesaurus:come into being

Derived terms

• informant
• information
• informative
• informatory
• informed
• informer
• inform on
• misinform
• uninformed

 

Translations

instruct — see instruct

to communicate knowledge to another/others (transitive)

• Arabic: بَلَّغَ‎ (ballaḡa), أَبْلَغَ‎ (ʾablaḡa), أَخْبَرَ‎ (ʾaḵbara)

  Egyptian Arabic: خبر‎ (ḵabbir)

• Belarusian: паведамля́ць impf (pavjedamljácʹ), паве́даміць pf (pavjédamicʹ)
• Bulgarian: съобща́вам (bg) impf (sǎobštávam), известя́вам (bg) impf (izvestjávam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 通知 (zh) (tōngzhī), 告知 (zh) (gàozhī)

• Czech: informovat (cs) impf
• Danish: informere (da)
• Dutch: informeren (nl), inlichten (nl), voorlichten (nl)
• Finnish: tiedottaa (fi)
• French: informer (fr)
• German: informieren (de), mitteilen (de)
• Greek: πληροφορώ (el) (pliroforó)
• Hebrew: הוֹדִיעַ‎ (hodía)
• Hungarian: informál (hu), tájékoztat (hu), értesít (hu), felvilágosít (hu)
• Interlingua: informar

• Japanese: 告げる (ja) (つげる, tsugeru), 知らせる (ja) (しらせる, shiraseru), 通知する (ja) (つうちする, tsūchi suru), 教える (ja) (おしえる, oshieru)
• Korean: 알리다 (ko) (allida), 전달하다 (ko) (jeondalhada), 통지하다 (ko) (tongjihada)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ئاگادان‎ (ku) (agadan), تێگەیاندن‎ (ku) (têgeyandin)

• Latin: doceo (la)
• Macedonian: известува impf (izvestuva), извести pf (izvesti), информира (informira)
• Maori: whakamōhio, whakarongo
• Norwegian: informere
• Polish: powiadamiać (pl) impf, powiadomić (pl) pf, informować (pl) impf, poinformować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: informar (pt)
• Russian: сообща́ть (ru) impf (soobščátʹ), сообщи́ть (ru) pf (soobščítʹ), информи́ровать (ru) impf (informírovatʹ), проинформи́ровать (ru) pf (proinformírovatʹ), извеща́ть (ru) impf (izveščátʹ), извести́ть (ru) pf (izvestítʹ), оповеща́ть (ru) impf (opoveščátʹ), оповести́ть (ru) pf (opovestítʹ), уведомля́ть (ru) impf (uvedomljátʹ), уве́домить (ru) pf (uvédomitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: obavijestiti (sh) pf
• Slovak: informovať impf
• Swedish: informera (sv), upplysa (sv), meddela (sv)
• Ukrainian: повідомля́ти impf (povidomljáty), пові́домити pf (povídomyty)

to impart information or knowledge (intransitive)

• Dutch: informeren (nl), voorlichten (nl)
• Finnish: tiedottaa (fi)
• French: informer (fr), instruire (fr)
• German: informieren (de)
• Hungarian: közöl (hu), megoszt (hu), tudat (hu), tudomására hoz
• Japanese: 教える (ja) (おしえる, oshieru)

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ئاگادان‎ (ku) (agadan), تێگەیاندن‎ (ku) (têgeyandin)

• Maori: whakaatu
• Portuguese: informar (pt)
• Swedish: informera (sv)

to act as an informer, denounce

• Bulgarian: издавам (bg) (izdavam)
• Dutch: verklikken (nl)
• Finnish: vasikoida (fi)
• French: dénoncer (fr)
• German: denunzieren (de)

• Greek: καταδίδω (el) (katadído)

  Ancient Greek: μηνύω (mēnúō)

• Hungarian: feljelent (hu)

to give form or character to; to inspire; to affect, influence (transitive)

• Bulgarian: одухотворявам (bg) (oduhotvorjavam)
• Hungarian: áthat (hu), átjár (hu), kihat (hu), hatással van

(obsolete in English) to make known (intransitive)

• Dutch: informeren (nl), kond doen
• Finnish: tiedottaa (fi)
• French: informer (fr)

• Japanese: 知らせる (ja) (しらせる, shiraseru)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ئاگادان‎ (ku) (agadan), تێگەیاندن‎ (ku) (têgeyandin)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} informar (io)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} informar

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} delatar (es), ^{(please verify)} enterar (es), ^{(please verify)} impregnar (es), ^{(please verify)} informar (es), ^{(please verify)} reportar (es)

Etymology 2

Latin īnfōrmis

Adjective

inform (not comparable)

1. Without regular form; shapeless; ugly; deformed.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Cotton to this entry?)

Anagrams

• F minor, Morfin, formin