“Below is a hopefully not incomplete definition of the term, forme fruste”.
Forme Fruste noun
plural formes frustes
fawm froost
Definition:
The incomplete expression of a condition that almost but does not quite meet the usual diagnostic criteria.
Example sentences:
“The antonym of forme fruste in medicine is forme pleine, which refer to the complete, or full-blown, manifestation of a disease.”
“Essential tremor is suspected by some researchers to be a forme fruste of Parkinson’s Disease.”
“Administration of some drugs can unmask a subclinical (forme fruste) disease syndrome.”
“The forme fruste of a disease may represent the tip of the iceberg with only a small part of it that is visible on the surface”.
Origin:
From the French meaning “crude, or unfinished, form”.