Cantal is also called fourme de Cantal, using the generic term that traditionally refers to all Auvergne cheeses. Derived from the Greek phormos and the Latin forma, meaning to form or to mold, the word fourme has gradually been used to designate the cheese itself. The term cheese, from formatica or fomaticus (made in the mold), refers to, as its name suggests, a product resulting from the shaping of the curd obtained through milk coagulation.