forma mentis

noun

A way of thinking; a mindset or set of attitudes.

OriginLatin forma mentis →
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Meanings

nounforma mentis (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA way of thinking; a mindset or set of attitudes.

    By Christopher Columbus's time, these tenets had become a forma mentis, a mental habit.

    1991, Djelal Kadir, Columbus and the Ends of the Earth: Europe's Prophetic Rhetoric As Conquering Ideology, →ISBN, page 8
    2 more examples

    The groups that are out of power in this kind of state are allowed to aspire for power, but the prevailing forma mentis will induce them to pursue their goals in a manner that does not threaten the basic order or orderliness as such

    2002, James Martin, Antonio Gramsci: Marxism, philosophy and politics, →ISBN, page 432

    Exposure to the logical structure of Latin grammar was thought to mold each student's forma mentis (mind set) appropriately—the content of selected texts would inspire him to cultivate the aristocratic virtues

    2007, Massimo Mazzotti, The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Mathematician of God, →ISBN, page 26

Origin

  1. Latinforma mentis“form of mind”
  2. Englishforma mentis

From Latin forma mentis (“form of mind”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

forma mentis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forma%20mentis

MLA

“forma mentis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forma%20mentis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forma mentis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forma%20mentis.

Source: forma mentis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.