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Ford¹, John 1586-1639.

English playwright whose works include 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1633) and collaborative efforts, notably with Thomas Dekker and John Webster.

Ford², John Originally John Martin Feeney. 1894-1973.

American filmmaker who directed classic films such as Stagecoach (1939) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940).

ford

(fôrd)

A shallow place in a body of water, such as a river, where one can cross by walking or riding on an animal or in a vehicle.

tr.v. ford·ed, ford·ing, fords

To cross (a body of water) at a ford.

[Middle English, from Old English; see per-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

forda·ble adj.

Ford, Henry 1863-1947.

American automobile manufacturer who developed a gasoline-powered automobile (1896), founded the Ford Motor Company (1903), and mass-produced the Model T (1908-1927), the first generally affordable and widely available automobile. His son Edsel Bryant Ford (1893-1943) ran the company from 1919 to 1943, as did his grandson Henry Ford II (1917-1987) from 1945 to 1980.

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Henry Ford

Ford, Gerald Rudolph 1913-2006.

The 38th president of the United States (1974-1977), who was appointed vice president on the resignation of Spiro Agnew (1973) and became president after Richard Nixon's resignation over the Watergate scandal. As president, Ford granted a full pardon to Nixon (1974).

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Gerald Ford

Ford, Ford Madox Originally Ford Hermann Hueffer. 1873-1939.

British writer and editor whose most important novels, The Good Soldier (1915) and the tetralogy Parade's End (1924-1928), examine the bonds of conjugal and adulterous relationships.

Ford

(fôrd), Elizabeth Bloomer Known as "Betty." 1918-2011.

First lady of the United States (1974-1977) as the wife of President Gerald R. Ford. She supported the Equal Rights Amendment, the arts, and programs for disabled children.

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Betty Ford

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.

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