The base type formaticu(m) ist derived from lat. forma 'shape, vessel'. It stems from Gallic and was initially only used as an adjective related to cāseus 'cheese'. Taken together, they resulted in a term for moulded hard cheese. During its further development, the noun cāseus was dropped while the adjective formaticum underwent nominalisation. The first records of this can be found in a Northern French glossary from the 8th century. Furthermore, the Middle Breton fourondec indicates its old age since it suggests a borrowing before the shift from -aticu to -age. Besides the suffix change, a metathesis can also be observed in the Old French, Middle French and New French forms. Old French knows the form formage 'substance alimentaire qu'on obtient en faisant subir diverses préparations au lait caillé; masse de cette substance moulée en pain'. Then, in Middle French, two forms coexist: On the one hand, there are records of fourmage. On the other hand, the version froumage exists. The metathesis is completely realised in the New French form fromage. Originating from the Gallo-Roman language area, it became a loanword in numerous other Romanic languages. Thus, ita. em>formaggio, pms. furmágg, lmo. formai or vec. formagio (cf. FEW 3, 717-719 under formaticum) can be found all across the northern Italian area. In Dolomitic Ladin, the type formaticum has almost completely replaced the type cāseus. The type cāseus is only still used in Val Badia and Val Gardena in the forms ćiajó and ćiaujel (both of which stem from the suffixed caseolus) as the AIS map 1217 and the EWD (II, 126) show. The shift of the base type formaticu(m) can be nicely explained by linking word and object, as in this case, the word was evidently motivated by a new method of production in which the cheese is left to ripen in a mould.