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f 1 or F (ĕf)
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n. pl. f's or F's also fs or Fs
1. The sixth letter of the modern English alphabet.
2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter f.
3. The sixth in a series.
4. Something shaped like the letter F.
5. F A grade that indicates failing status.
6. Music
a. The fourth tone in the scale of C major or the sixth tone in the relative minor scale.
b. A key or scale in which F is the tonic.
c. A written or printed note representing this tone.
d. A string, key, or pipe tuned to the pitch of this tone.
(click for a larger image)
manuscript, Gettysburg Address
Th is draft of the 1863 Gettysburg Address, written in Abraham Lincoln's hand, is archived at the Library of Congress.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.