# forge

Pronunciation: say "FORJ" US /fɔɹd͡ʒ/, UK /fɔːd͡ʒ/

## Verb

1. To form or create something through sustained, concerted effort.
   - Simple: To build or create something through hard, determined work.
   - _Through long negotiations, the leaders sought to forge a durable alliance._
   - _The community forged a shared identity out of many cultures._
2. To make a fake copy of something, such as a document or signature, in order to deceive.
   - Simple: To make a fake copy of something, like money or a signature, to trick people.
   - _It is a crime to forge another person's signature._
   - _She forged passports for people fleeing the country._
3. To shape metal by heating it until it glows and then hammering it into form.
   - Simple: To shape metal by heating it until soft and then hammering it.
   - _Craftsmen forge tools by heating iron until it glows and shaping it with hammers._
   - _The swordsmith forged the blade over several days._
4. To move forward steadily and with effort, pushing toward a goal despite resistance.
   - Simple: To keep moving forward slowly and steadily, even when it is hard.
   - _The reformers chose to forge toward change despite fierce opposition._
   - _The old steamer forged slowly upriver against the current._
5. To move or act with a sudden burst of speed or energy.
   - Simple: To suddenly speed up and push forward.
   - _The runner forged into the lead on the final lap._
   - _Sales forge ahead whenever the company launches a new product._
6. To produce something untrue or not genuine; to fabricate.
   - Simple: To make up something false, such as a story or excuse.
   - _Politicians sometimes forge narratives to justify unpopular decisions._
   - _She forged an account of events that never took place._

## Noun

7. A furnace or hearth where metal is heated before being hammered into shape.
   - Simple: A special fire or furnace used to heat metal before shaping it.
   - _She pulled the glowing bar from the forge and laid it on the anvil._
   - _The forge roared as the coals reached their hottest._
8. A metalworking shop where hammer blows shape heated metal.
   - Simple: A workshop where metal is heated and hammered into shape.
   - _She apprenticed at a busy forge for three years._
   - _The old forge on the corner still shapes iron gates by hand._
9. The act of beating or working iron or steel into shape.
   - Simple: The work of beating and shaping iron or steel.
   - _The forge of fine steel requires both precise heat and rhythmic hammering._
   - _Mastering the forge of iron took the apprentice many years._
10. A web-based platform where developers collaborate on and share software.
   - Simple: A website where programmers work together to build and share software.
   - _The community hosts dozens of projects on a single forge._
   - _Many contributors prefer a forge that integrates code review and issue tracking._

## Origin

**Meanings 7–10** — From Middle English "forge", from Old French "forge" (earlier "faverge"), from Latin "fabrica" ("workshop"), from "faber" ("workman in hard materials, smith"). It is a doublet of "fabric" and "fabrica", and the computing sense perhaps derives from the early SourceForge service, launched in 1999.
**Meanings 1–3, 6** — From Middle English "forgen", from Anglo-Norman "forger" and Old French "forgier", from Latin "fabrico" ("to frame, construct, build"). It is a doublet of "fabricate".
**Meanings 4–5** — In the sense "to make way or move ahead", most likely an alteration of "force", but perhaps from "forge" (noun) via the notion of steady hammering at something. It was originally nautical, used in reference to vessels.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/forge (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).