There’s a new Fortin in town, goes by the name Lila Rose. Weighs in at 8 lbs., 10 oz. You can read this blog to learn about the birth of Lila’s big sister Lucy, which gives a nod to their father’s side, The Noels. Today, I honor Lila’s mom’s side - The Fortins.
Recently, in my online app game Matrix Mania and in this blog, I featured the <fort> word family. It was in honor of Christmas and tidings of comfort and joy. In the word comfortable, we often delete the <or> altogether during discourse and say “cumpf-tuh-bul.” This pronunciation can make it hard to spell. Knowing the base is <fort>, meaning “strength,” can be helpful as the <or> is more clearly heard. To make someone comfortable is to give them strength. Comfort is fortifying. Discomfort is the opposite of fortifying.
While creating the word matrix for <fort>, I came across some fun words. To feel comfortful is to have an abundance of comfort. Forting, obsolete according to the Oxford English Dictionary and not found in Merriam-Webster, is the act of fortifying or enclosing a fort. One could say, “Yesterday, I forted, and everyone was grateful.” I’m pretty sure there’s a joke in there. Your forte is your strong point. If we play a musical instrument with more effort, a song will be marked by forte, or loudness. With a little more force, you will play with fortissimo. With even greater force and a little extra < -iss>, you will play with <fortississimo>. <fortin> is a diminutive of <fort>, so it literally means “little fort.” My favorite word, by far, though, from the <fort> family is <fortlet>.
fort + let → fortlet
The <-let> adds a diminutive denotation to a word. It makes something smaller. A ringlet is a small ring, a booklet, a small book, a droplet, a small drop, and a piglet, a small pig. And a fortlet? That would be the tiny bundle of strength, comfort, and joy brought into the Fortin-Noel family this holiday season. Introducing Lila Rose Fortin-Noel.
Play Matrix Mania at spellableapp.com today to have fun finding words in the Fortin family.