The word forte has Latin, French and Italian roots, which have each evolved into different meanings.
According to the Glossary of Musical Terms at classicalworks.com, when a musician sees the "forte" symbol in a musical score, it means to play loud. Composers use this technique to create a climax or drama in a piece. This meaning derives from the Italian word forte.
In French, forte means "strong," according to Merriam-Webster.com. In English, forte is most often used to describe someone's exceptional strength or talent, such as "cooking is his forte."
Forte also refers to the strongest part of a sword's blade, between the middle and the hilt. This meaning is also French in origin.
In Latin, forte means accidentally or by chance, as translated by online-dictionary.biz.