noun
former
A person or thing that shapes or produces something.
The carpenter bends the damp wood around a curved former.
Etymology
The agent ending identifies whoever or whatever forms something. This former is a shaping person or device, distinct from former meaning earlier.
More examples
- She wraps the wire around a cylindrical former.
- The workshop keeps several formers for shaping different hat sizes.
- This former gives the metal its rounded shape.
Forms
former · formers
form verb — To give shape or structure to something.
Similar words
- mold
- A hollow container that shapes material placed inside it.
- maker
- Emphasizes producing something rather than giving it a particular shape.