for·mat 
(fôrmăt′)
(fôrmăt′)n.
1. A plan for the organization and arrangement of a specified production.
2. The material form or layout of a publication.
3. Computers
a. The arrangement of data for storage or display.
b. A method for achieving such an arrangement.
tr.v. for·mat·ted, for·mat·ting, for·mats
1. To plan or arrange in a specified form: They formatted the conference so that each speaker had less than 15 minutes to deliver a paper.
2. Computers
a. To divide (a disk) into marked sectors to allow for the storage of data.
b. To determine the arrangement of (data) for storage or display.
[French, ultimately from Latin fōrmātus, past participle of fōrmāre, to form, from fōrma, form.]