formula

I. noun (plural -las or formulae) Etymology: Latin, diminutive of forma form Date: 1618 1. a. a set form of words for use in a ceremony or ritual b. a conventionalized statement intended to express some fundamental truth or principle especially as a basis for negotiation or action 2. a. (1) recipe (2) prescription b. a milk mixture or substitute for feeding an infant 3. a. a general fact, rule, or principle expressed in usually mathematical symbols b. a symbolic expression of the chemical composition or constitution of a substance c. a group of symbols (as letters and numbers) associated to express facts or data (as the number and kinds of teeth in the jaw) concisely d. a combination of signs in a logical calculus 4. a customary or set form or method allowing little room for originality • formulaic adjective • formulaically adverb II. adjective Date: 1951 of, relating to, or being an open-wheel open-cockpit rear-engine racing car conforming to prescribed specifications as to size, weight, and engine displacement