horma

Horma is a term used in Iberian languages to denote a mold, form, or template used to shape materials in crafts and manufacturing. The word appears in Spanish and Portuguese and is applied across several specialties where a predefined shape guides production.

In shoemaking, horma refers to the last, the rigid form shaped like a foot around which leather is stretched and assembled to create a shoe. Traditionally carved from wood, lasts come in a range of sizes and profiles to define length, width, and toe shape; modern versions may be plastic or composite and can be customized to fit a specific wearer.

In other crafts, horma broadly means any mold or form used to shape objects. In pottery and ceramics, it can describe a positive or negative mold used to form vessels or sculptures. In baking and pastry, a horma can be a mold or template used to shape dough, batter, or confections into a desired outline. In woodworking or metalworking, hormas serve as templates to reproduce repeated shapes or patterns.

Besides its physical uses, horma can carry a figurative sense related to a standard, pattern, or template by which something is measured or produced, especially when referring to traditional methods or precise fitting.

See also: Last (shoe), Mold (manufacturing), Template.