I. ˈkä-mən adjective
Etymology: Middle English commun, from Anglo-French, from Latin communis — more at mean
Date: 13th century
1.
a. : of or relating to a community at large : public
work for the common good
b. : known to the community
common nuisances
2.
a. : belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or things or by all members of a group
a common friend
buried in a common grave
b. : belonging equally to two or more mathematical entities
triangles with a common base
c. : having two or more branches
common carotid artery
3.
a. : occurring or appearing frequently : familiar
a common sight
b. : of the best known or most frequently seen kind — used especially of plants and animals
the common housefly
c. : vernacular 2
common names
4.
a. : widespread , general
common knowledge
b. : characterized by a lack of privilege or special status
common people
c. : just satisfying accustomed criteria : elementary
common decency
5.
a. : falling below ordinary standards : second-rate
b. : lacking refinement : coarse
6. : denoting nominal relations by a single linguistic form that in a more highly inflected language might be denoted by two or more different forms
common gender
common case
7. : of, relating to, or being common stock
• com·mon·ly adverb
• com·mon·ness -mən-nəs noun
Synonyms:
common , ordinary , plain , familiar , popular , vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual. common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence
a common error
lacked common honesty
and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness
common manners
ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things
an ordinary pleasant summer day
a very ordinary sort of man
plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity
plain hard-working people
familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized
a familiar melody
popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups
a writer of popular romances
vulgar , otherwise similar to popular , is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness)
souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste
II. noun
Date: 14th century
1. plural : the common people
2. plural but singular in construction : a dining hall
3. plural but singular or plural in construction , often capitalized
a. : the political group or estate comprising the commoners
b. : the parliamentary representatives of the commoners
c. : House of Commons
4. : the legal right of taking a profit in another's land in common with the owner or others
5. : a piece of land subject to common use: as
a. : undivided land used especially for pasture
b. : a public open area in a municipality
6.
a. : a religious service suitable for any of various festivals
b. : ordinary 2
7. : common stock
•
- in common