former (adj)

the first of two or the first mentioned of two

"Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"

former(a) (adj)

referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)

"the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one"

erstwhile(a), former(a), old, onetime(a), one-time(a), quondam(a), sometime(a) (adj)

belonging to some prior time

"erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover"

former(a), late(a), previous(a) (adj)

(used especially of persons) of the immediate past

"the former president"; "our late President is still very active"; "the previous occupant of the White House"

early(a), former(a), other(a) (adj)

belonging to the distant past

"the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times"

former (Noun)

Someone who forms something.

former (Noun)

An object used to form something.

former (Noun)

Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).

former (Adjective)

previous

former (Adjective)

first of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.

Former

A former is a structural member of an aircraft fuselage, of which a typical fuselage has a series from the nose to the empennage, typically perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The primary purpose of formers is to establish the shape of the fuselage and reduce the column length of stringers to prevent instability. Formers are typically attached to longerons, which support the skin of the aircraft. The Former-and-Longeron technique was adopted from boat construction, and was typical of light aircraft built until the advent of structural skins such as fiberglass and other composite materials. Many of today's light aircraft, and homebuilt aircraft in particular, are still designed in this way. They are also found in the cores of potentiometers in which the resistive material is wrapped round.

Former

A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of the finished structure, as in an aircraft fuselage, or it may be removable, being using in the construction process and then discarded or re-used.