forma

Forma, formae, f., first declension, and three senses live inside it: the outward shape of a thing, the mould that gives the shape, and good looks. That third sense is the one to watch, because forma on its own is the ordinary Latin for beauty, especially a woman's, where English would want a second noun entirely.

Philosophy took the first sense and set forma against materia, which is how form became a technical term. From the beauty sense came formosus, "shapely", surviving in Portuguese formoso and in the old name for Taiwan. Medieval scribes write forme where classical Latin writes formae, which is why the e-spelling appears in the corpus.