formula

[fawr-myuh-luh] /ˈfɔr myə lə/
noun, plural formulas, formulae
[fawr-myuh-lee] /ˈfɔr myəˌli/ (Show IPA)
1.
a set form of words, as for stating or declaring something definitely or authoritatively, for indicating procedure to be followed, or for prescribed use on some ceremonial occasion.
2.
any fixed or conventional method for doing something:
His mystery stories were written according to a popular formula.
3.
Mathematics.
  1. a rule or principle, frequently expressed in algebraic symbols.
  2. such a symbolic expression.
4.
Chemistry. an expression of the constituents of a compound by symbols and figures.
Compare empirical formula, molecular formula, structural formula.
5.
a recipe or prescription:
a new formula for currant wine.
6.
a special nutritive mixture, especially of milk, sugar, and water, in prescribed proportions for feeding a baby.
7.
a formal statement of religious doctrine.
8.
(initial capital letter) a set of specifications as to weight, engine displacement, fuel capacity, etc., for defining a class of racing cars (usually followed by a limiting numerical designation):
Some races are open to Formula One cars.
Origin
1575-85; < Latin: register, form, rule. See form, -ule
Examples from the web for formulas
  • Their plots recycled old musical formulas, with singers lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks instead of performing live.
  • But the biographer of today must beware of adopting the unripe formulas of any immature science.
  • None of your formulas have anything definite to show, whereas alchemy has its actual discoveries.
  • Meteorologists have devised several formulas for calculating the energy produced by hurricanes during a season.
  • Also, lyrics are secondary in zydeco and usually follow easy formulas.
  • They're even researching how the right formulas might significantly boost fuel efficiency.
  • Garden centers also offer organic liquid formulas based on fish emulsion or seaweed.
  • Planetarium programs use the same formulas describing the orbits of the various celestial objects.
  • These formulas calculate the chances a species can survive, without human protection, in the wild.
  • It does so with complex, mathematical formulas, and with considerable elegance.
British Dictionary definitions for formulas

formula

/ˈfɔːmjʊlə/
noun (pl) -las, -lae (-ˌliː)
1.
an established form or set of words, as used in religious ceremonies, legal proceedings, etc
2.
(maths, physics) a general relationship, principle, or rule stated, often as an equation, in the form of symbols
3.
(chem) a representation of molecules, radicals, ions, etc, expressed in the symbols of the atoms of their constituent elements See molecular formula, empirical formula, structural formula
4.
  1. a method, pattern, or rule for doing or producing something, often one proved to be successful
  2. (as modifier): formula fiction
5.
  1. a prescription for making up a medicine, baby's food, etc
  2. a substance prepared according to such a prescription
6.
(motor racing) the specific category in which a particular type of car competes, judged according to engine size, weight, and fuel capacity
Derived Forms
formulaic (ˌfɔːmjʊˈleɪɪk) adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin: diminutive of formaform
Word Origin and History for formulas

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.

formulas in Medicine

formula for·mu·la (fôr'myə-lə)
n. pl. for·mu·las or for·mu·lae (-lē')

  1. A symbolic representation of the chemical composition or of the chemical composition and structure of a compound.

  2. The chemical compound so represented.

  3. A prescription of ingredients in fixed proportion; a recipe.

  4. A liquid food for infants, containing most of the nutrients in human milk.

  5. A mathematical statement, especially an equation, of a fact, rule, principle, or other logical relation.

formulas in Science
formula
  (fôr'myə-lə)   
Plural formulas or formulae (fôr'myə-lē')

  1. A set of symbols showing the composition of a chemical compound. A formula lists the elements contained within it and indicates the number of atoms of each element with a subscript numeral if the number is more than 1. For example, H2O is the formula for water, where H2 indicates two atoms of hydrogen and O indicates one atom of oxygen.

  2. A set of symbols expressing a mathematical rule or principle. For example, the formula for the area of a rectangle is a = lw, where a is the area, l the length, and w the width.