Online Etymology Dictionary

forge (v.1): c.1300, "to make, shape, create," from Old French forgier, from Latin fabricari "to frame, construct, build," from fabrica "workshop" (see forge (n.)). Meaning "to counterfeit" is early 14c. Related: Forged; forging.
forger (n.): late 14c., "a maker, a smith," agent noun from forge (v.). Meaning "a counterfeiter" is from 1550s.
forgery (n.): 1570s, "a thing made fraudulently," from forge (n.) + -ery. Meaning "act of counterfeiting" is 1590s.
forget (v.): Old English forgietan, from for-, used here with negative force, "away, amiss, opposite" + gietan "to grasp" (see get). To "un-get," hence "to lose" from the mind. A common Germanic construction (cf. Old Saxon fargetan, Old Frisian forjeta, Dutch vergeten, Old High German firgezzan, German vergessen "to forget"). The literal sense would be "to lose (one's) grip on," but that is not recorded in any Germanic language. Related: Forgetting; forgot; forgotten.
forget-me-not (n.): the flowering plant Myosotis palustris, 1530s, from Old French ne m'oubliez mye; in 15c. the flower was supposed to ensure that those wearing it should never be forgotten by their lovers. Similar loan-translations took the name into other languages, cf. German Vergißmeinnicht, Swedish forgätmigej, Hungarian nefelejcs, Czech nezabudka.
forgetful (adj.): late 14c., from forget + -ful. Related: Forgetfully; forgetfulness.
forgettable (adj.): 1827, from forget + -able. First attested in a translation from German by Carlyle.
forgivable (adj.): 1540s, from forgive + -able.
forgive (v.): Old English forgiefan "give, grant, allow; forgive," also "to give up" and "to give in marriage;" from for- "completely" + giefan "give" (see give).

The modern sense of "to give up desire or power to punish" is from use of the compound as a Germanic loan-translation of Latin perdonare (cf. Old Saxon fargeban, Dutch vergeven, German vergeben, Gothic fragiban; see pardon). Related: Forgave; forgiven; forgiving.
forgiveness (n.): Old English forgiefnes "pardon, forgiveness, indulgence;" see forgive + -ness.
forgiving (adj.): "inclined to forgive," 1680s, from present participle of forgive. Related: Forgivingness.
forgo (v.): "to relinquish," Old English forgan "go away, pass over, leave undone," from for- "away" + gan "go" (see go). Related: Forgoing; forgone.
forgotten (adj.): early 15c., past participle adjective from forget.
fork (n.): Old English forca "forked instrument used by torturers," a Germanic borrowing (cf. Old Norse forkr) from Latin furca "pitchfork; fork used in cooking," of uncertain origin.

Table forks were not generally used in England until 15c. The word is first attested in this sense in English in a will of 1463, probably from Old North French forque (Old French furche, Modern French fourche), from the Latin word. Of rivers, from 1753; of roads, from 1839.
fork (v.): "to divide in branches, go separate ways" (early 14c.), from fork (n.). Related: Forked; forking. The slang verb phrase fork up (or out) "give over" is from 1831.
forkful (n.): 1640s; see fork (n.) + -ful.
forklift (n.): also fork-lift (truck), 1946, from fork (n.) + lift (n.).
forlorn (adj.): mid-12c., forloren "disgraced, depraved," past participle of obsolete forlesan "be deprived of, lose, abandon," from Old English forleosan "to lose, abandon, let go; destroy, ruin," from for- "completely" + leosan "to lose" (see lose). In the Mercian hymns, Latin perditionis is glossed by Old English forlorenisse.

Sense of "forsaken, abandoned" is 1530s; that of "wretched, miserable" first recorded 1580s. A common Germanic compound (cf. Old Saxon farilosan, Old Frisian urliasa, Middle Dutch verliesen, Dutch verliezen, Old High German virliosan, German verlieren, Gothic fraliusan "to lose").

Commonly in forlorn hope (1570s), which is a partial translation of Dutch verloren hoop, in which hoop means "troop, band," literally "heap," and the sense of the whole phrase is of a suicide mission. The phrase is usually used incorrectly in English, and the misuse has colored the sense of forlorn. Related: Forlornly; forlornness.
form (n.): early 13c., from Old French forme "physical form, appearance, pleasing looks; shape, image," from Latin forma "form, contour, figure, shape; appearance, looks' model, pattern, design; sort, kind condition," origin unknown. One theory holds that it is from Greek morphe "form, beauty, outward appearance" (see Morpheus) via Etruscan [Klein]. Sense of "behavior" is first recorded late 14c. Meaning "a document with blanks to be filled in" is from 1855.
form (v.): c.1300, from Old French fourmer, from Latin formare, from forma "form, contour, figure, shape" (see form (n.)). Related: Formed; forming.
formable (adj.): late 14c., from form (v.) + -able.
formal (adj.): late 14c., from Old French formel (13c.) and directly from Latin formalis, from forma (see form (n.)). As a noun, c.1600 (plural) "things that are formal;" as a short way to say formal dance, recorded by 1906, U.S. college students.
formaldehyde (n.): pungent gas formed by oxidation of methyl alcohol, 1869, a contraction of formic aldehyde; see formic + aldehyde. Discovered in 1863 by German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818-1892).
formalism (n.): 1840, "strict adherence to prescribed forms," from formal + -ism. Attested from 1943 in reference to the Russian literary movement (1916-30). Related: Formalist; formalistic.
formality (n.): 1530s, "agreement as to form," from Middle French formalité (15c.) or directly from Latin formalis "formal" (see formal). Originally "literary form;" meaning "something done for the sake of form" is from 1590s. Related: Formalities.
formalize (v.): 1590s, from formal + -ize. Related: Formalized; formalizing.
formally (adv.): c.1400, "in good form," from formal + -ly (2). Meaning "in prescribed or customary form" is from 1560s.
format (v.): used chiefly of computers, 1964, from format (n.). Related: Formatted; formatting.
format (n.): 1840, via French format (18c.), ultimately from Modern Latin liber formatus "a book formed" (in such and such a way), referring to shape, size; from past participle of formare "to form" (see form (v.)).
formation (n.): late 14c., from Old French formacion (12c.) or directly from Latin formationem (nominative formatio) "a forming, shaping," noun of action or condition from past participle stem of formare "to form" (see form (v.)).
formative (adj.): late 15c., from Middle French formatif, from Latin format-, past participle stem of formare (see form (n.)).
former (adj.): "earlier in time," mid-12c., comparative of forme "first," patterned on formest "foremost" (see foremost). An unusual case of a comparative formed from a superlative (the -m- is a superlative element).
former (n.): "one who gives form," mid-14c., agent noun from form (v.).
formerly (adv.): 1580s, from former + -ly (2). A Middle English word for this was andersith "formerly, at former times" (early 14c.).
formic (adj.): 1791 (in formic acid), coined from Latin formica "ant" (see Formica (n.2)). The acid apparently first was noticed by Samuel Fisher and John Wray in 1670; it was first obtained in a fairly pure form in 1749 by German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf (1709-1782), who prepared it by distilling red ants. It also is found in bee stings and stinging nettles.
Formica (1): proprietary name (1922), originally manufactured by Formica Insulation Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. (founded 1913). According to the company, the material (originally marketed as an industrial insulator) was so called because it could be used for mica, i.e., in place of mica, a more expensive natural insulator. Primarily used in consumer goods since c.1945.
Formica (2): ant genus, 1865, from Latin formica "ant," dissimilated from PIE *morwi- "ant" (cf. Sanskrit vamrah "ant," Greek myrmex, Old Church Slavonic mraviji, Old Irish moirb, Old Norse maurr, Welsh myrion; and cf. pismire).
formicary (n.): "ant nest," 1816, from Medieval Latin formicarium, from Latin formica "ant" (see Formica (n.2)).
formication (n.): crawling sensation as of ants on the skin, 1707, from Latin formicationem, noun of action from formicare "to crawl like ants," from formica "ant" (see Formica (n.2)).
formidable (adj.): mid-15c., from Middle French formidable (15c.), from Latin formidabilis "causing fear, terrible," from formidare "to fear," from formido "fearfulness, fear, terror, dread." Related: Formidably.
formless (adj.): 1590s, from form (n.) + -less. Related: Formlessly; formlessness.
Formosa: old name of Taiwan, given by Portuguese, from Portuguese Formosa insula "beautiful island," from fem. of Latin formosus "beautiful, handsome, finely formed," from forma (see form (n.)).
formula (n.): 1630s, "words used in a ceremony or ritual," from Latin formula "form, draft, contract, regulation; rule, method, formula," literally "small form," diminutive of forma "form" (see form (n.)).

Modern sense is colored by Carlyle's use (1837) of the word for "rule slavishly followed without understanding" [OED].
Men who try to speak what they believe, are naked men fighting men quilted sevenfold in formulae. [Charles Kingsley, "Letters," 1861]
Mathematical use is from 1796; use in chemistry is from c.1846.
formulae: plural of formula.
formulaic (adj.): 1882, from formula + -ic.
formular (n.): 1560s, from Latin formula (see formula) + -ar. As an adjective, from 1773.
formulary (n.): 1540s, from French formulaire "collection of formulae," from Latin formularius from formula (see formula).
formulate (v.): 1860, "to express in a formula," from formula + -ate. Related: Formulated; formulating.
formulation (n.): 1876, from formulate + -ion.
Fornax (n.): goddess of ovens in ancient Rome, from Latin fornax "furnace, oven, kiln" (see furnace). The dim constellation (representing a chemical furnace) was added by de Lacaille in 1756.