common

English Online Dictionary. What means common‎? What does common mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English comun, from Anglo-Norman comun, from Old French comun (rare in the Gallo-Romance languages, but reinforced as a Carolingian calque of Proto-West Germanic *gamainī (“common”) in Old French), from Latin commūnis (“common, public, general”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱom-moy-ni-s (“held in common”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to exchange, change”). Displaced native Middle English imene, ȝemǣne (“common, general, universal”) (from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English mene, mǣne (“mean, common”) (also from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English samen, somen (“in common, together”) (from Old English samen (“together”)). Doublet of gmina and mean.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kŏm'ən, IPA^(key): /ˈkɒm.ən/
• (General American) enPR: kä'mən, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑ.mən/, /ˈkɑ.mɪn/
• (obsolete) enPR: kŏm'ŭn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɒm.ʌn/
• Rhymes: -ɒmən
• Hyphenation: com‧mon

Adjective

common (comparative more common or commoner, superlative most common or commonest)

1. Mutual; shared by more than one.
2. Of a quality: existing among virtually all people; universal.
3. Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual.
4. Found in large numbers or in a large quantity; usual.
5. Simple, ordinary or vulgar.
6. (taxonomy) As part of the vernacular name of a species, usually denoting that it is abundant or widely known.

7. (taxonomy) Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal.

   common name vs. scientific name.

8. (law) Arising from use or tradition, as opposed to being created by a legislative body.
9. (grammar) Of, pertaining or belonging to the common gender.
10. (grammar) Of or pertaining to common nouns as opposed to proper nouns.
11. (obsolete) Profane; polluted.
12. (obsolete) Given to lewd habits; prostitute.

Synonyms

• (mutual): mutual, shared; see also Thesaurus:joint
• (usual): normal, ordinary, standard, usual; see also Thesaurus:common
• (occurring in large numbers or in a large quantity): widespread; see also Thesaurus:widespread
• (ordinary): common-or-garden, everyday; see also Thesaurus:normal
• (grammar, gender of coalescence of masculine of feminine): epicene
• (grammar, antonym of proper): appellative

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “mutual”): personal, individual, peculiar; see also Thesaurus:sole
• (antonym(s) of “usual”): special, exceptional, rare, uncommon; see also Thesaurus:strange
• (antonym(s) of “occurring in large numbers or in a large quantity”): rare, uncommon, few and far between
• (antonym(s) of “ordinary”): exceptional, extraordinary, noteworthy, special
• (antonym(s) of “vernacular”): technical term

Translations

See also

• (grammar, gender of coalescence of masculine of feminine): feminine/female, masculine/male, neuter

Noun

common (plural commons)

1. Mutual good, shared by more than one.
2. A tract of land in common ownership; common land.

   Synonym: (sg) commons
3. The people; the community.
4. (law) The right of taking a profit in the land of another, in common either with the owner or with other persons; so called from the community of interest which arises between the claimant of the right and the owner of the soil, or between the claimants and other commoners entitled to the same right.

Translations

Verb

common (third-person singular simple present commons, present participle commoning, simple past and past participle commoned)

1. (obsolete) To communicate (something).
2. (obsolete) To converse, talk.
   • 1568-1569, Richard Grafton, Chronicle

     Capitaine generall of Flaunders, which amiably enterteyned the sayd Duke, and after they had secretly commoned of.

3. (obsolete) To have sex.
4. (obsolete) To participate.
5. (obsolete) To have a joint right with others in common ground.
6. (obsolete) To board together; to eat at a table in common.

Derived terms

References

• “common”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• common in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “common”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Chinese

Etymology

From English common.

Pronunciation

Adjective

common

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) common; usual; widespread

See also

• com (kam1)

References

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese