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As the title says. It surprised me when I found this online dictionary entry at the time I tried to express "easy to forget things" and "forgetive" appeared in my mind.

What is the history or background of this word? Also, what adjective means "easy to forget things" in English?

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forge + tive

probably from forge + -tive (as in inventive) First Known Use: 1597

Forge: form or create with concerted effort.

The politician's recent actions are an effort to forge a relationship with undecided voters.

Easily forgotten: forgettable easily forgotten, esp. through being uninteresting or mediocre.

It was an extremely forgettable performance.

someone who forgets: forgetful: apt or likely not to remember.

I'm a bit forgetful these days

also: absentminded

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  • Thanks, So SourceForge means creating source code?
    – Earth Engine
    Commented Dec 19, 2013 at 1:40
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    @Earth Engine: It's just a website name, so there's a limit to how far you can take the idea that it "means" anything. But most likely Sourceforge is so-named because of the close association between the noun "forge" (where a blacksmith works) and "workshop". Here are plenty of results from Google showing how often the two words are used in proximity.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 19, 2013 at 1:52
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From OED...

forgetive - a Shakespearian word, of uncertain formation and meaning. Commonly taken as a derivative of forge, and hence used by writers of the 19th c. for: Apt at ‘forging’, inventive, creative.

forge - to make, fashion, frame, or construct (any material thing); = fabricate

Someone who often forgets things is forgetful (or absent-minded), and someone who is easy to forget is forgettable.

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