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common

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/
- Audio (UK): (file)
(General American) enPR: kä'mən, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑ.mən/, /ˈkɑ.mɪn/
- Audio (US): (file)
(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)

Mutual; shared by more than one.
The two competitors have the common aim of winning the championship.

Winning the championship is an aim common to the two competitors.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
  Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.
- 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 169:
  They shared a common dread that he would begin moaning.
Of a quality: existing among virtually all people; universal.
common knowledge, common decency, common sense
- 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter XVII, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 197:
  No man of common humanity, no man who had any value for his character, could be capable of it.
Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual.
It is common to find sharks off this coast.
- 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto VI:
  That loss is common would not make
  ⁠My own less bitter, rather more:
  ⁠Too common! Never morning wore
  To evening, but some heart did break.
- 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
  Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.
Found in large numbers or in a large quantity; usual.
"Commoner" used to be commoner, but "more common" is now more common.

Sharks are common in these waters.

It differs from the common blackbird in the size of its beak.
- 2012 March, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 14 June 2012, page 128:
  Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
- 2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America‎, archived from the original on 7 February 2019:
  Machine learning was the most common method of AI listed in patent requests.
  
  Audio (US): (file)
- 2023 January 3, Dacher Keltner, “The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe”, in The Atlantic‎, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-14:
  In our daily-diary studies, one source of awe was by far the most common: other people. Regular acts of courage—bystanders defusing fights, subordinates standing up to abusive power holders—inspired awe.
Simple, ordinary or vulgar.
the common folk
- 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
  This fact was infamous / And ill beseeming any common man, / Much more a knight, a captain and a leader.
- 1768, Arthur Murphy, Zenobia:
  above the vulgar flight of common souls
- 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “The Burglary”, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 35:
  Mr. Crackit (for he it was) had no very great quantity of hair, either upon his head or face, but what he had was of a reddish dye, and tortured into long corkscrew curls, through which he occasionally thrust some very dirty fingers ornamented with large common rings.
- 1873, Jules Verne, chapter I, in [anonymous], transl., Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas; […], James R. Osgood edition, Boston, Mass.: Geo[rge] M[urray] Smith & Co., →OCLC, part I, page 3:
  Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, […] naval officers of all countries, and the Governments of several states on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter.
- 1893, Florian Cajori, A History of Mathematics:
  If it be asked wherein the utility of some modern extensions of mathematics lies, it must be acknowledged that it is at present difficult to see how they are ever to become applicable to questions of common life or physical science.
- 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter III (Accessory After the Fact), page 382, column 2:
  She was frankly disappointed. For some reason she had expected to discover a burglar of one or another accepted type—either a dashing cracksman in full-blown evening dress, lithe, polished, pantherish, or a common yegg, a red-eyed, unshaven, burly brute in the rags and tatters of a tramp.
(taxonomy) As part of the vernacular name of a species, usually denoting that it is abundant or widely known.
the common daisy (Bellis perennis)
(taxonomy) Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal.
common name vs. scientific name.
(law) Arising from use or tradition, as opposed to being created by a legislative body.
common law
- 1765, William Blackstone, “Of Corporations”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book I (Of the Rights of Persons), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 469:
  As to eleemoſynary corporations, by the dotation the founder and his heirs are of common right the legal viſitors, to ſee that that property is rightly employed, which would otherwiſe have deſcended to the viſitor himſelf: […]
(grammar) Of, pertaining or belonging to the common gender.
(grammar) Of or pertaining to common nouns as opposed to proper nouns.
(obsolete) Profane; polluted.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 10:15:
  What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
(obsolete) Given to lewd habits; prostitute.
- 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:
  a Dame who her self was as Common as the King's High Way

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

mutual

Albanian: i përbashkët (sq), i përgjithshem
Armenian: ընդհանուր (hy) (əndhanur)
Asturian: común (ast)
Azerbaijani: ortaq, şərik
Bashkir: уртаҡ (urtaq)
Belarusian: агу́льны (be) (ahúlʹny)
Bulgarian: общ (bg) (obšt)
Catalan: comú (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 共同 (zh) (gòngtóng), 共通 (zh) (gòngtōng), 相互 (zh) (xiānghù)
Czech: společný (cs)
Danish: fælles
Dutch: gemeen (nl), gemene (nl), gewoon (nl), gewone (nl)
Esperanto: komuna
Finnish: yhteinen (fi)
French: commun (fr)
Galician: común (gl)
German: gemeinsam (de), Gemein-, gemeinschaftlich (de) (property)
Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (gamains)
Greek: κοινός (el) (koinós)
Ancient: κοινός (koinós)
Hawaiian: please add this translation if you can
Hebrew: משותף (meshutaf)
Hindi: परस्पर (hi) (paraspar)
Hungarian: közös (hu), (identical) egyező (hu), megegyező (hu), azonos (hu)
Ido: komuna (io)
Interlingua: commun
Irish: coiteann
Italian: comune (it)
Japanese: 相互 (ja) (そうご, sōgo), 共通 (ja) (きょうつう, kyōtsū)
Korean: 상호 (ko) (sangho), 공통 (ko) (gongtong)
Latin: commūnis (la)
Latvian: kopīgs
Lithuanian: bendras (lt)
Malay: sama (ms), sepunya
Maori: pūnoa, pātahi (As used in mathematics.)
Occitan: comun (oc)
Old English: gemǣne
Polish: wspólny (pl), wzajemny (pl)
Portuguese: comum (pt)
Quechua: khuska
Romanian: comun (ro)
Russian: о́бщий (ru) (óbščij), взаи́мный (ru) (vzaímnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: cumanta, coitcheann
Slovene: skúpen
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: gromadny, zgromadny, pógromadny

Upper Sorbian: zhromadny
Spanish: común (es)
Swedish: gemensam (sv), allmän (sv)
Tagalog: pambalana (tl), balana
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: ortak (tr)
Ukrainian: зага́льний (uk) (zahálʹnyj)
Vietnamese: chung (vi)
Walloon: kimon (wa) m
Yiddish: בשותּפֿותדיק (bshutfesdik)

usual

Amharic: የተለመደ (yätälämädä), ተራ (tära)
Arabic: شَائِع (šāʔiʕ)
Armenian: սովորական (hy) (sovorakan)
Asturian: común (ast)
Belarusian: звы́клы (zvýkly)
Bulgarian: обикновен (bg) (obiknoven)
Catalan: comú (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 通常 (zh) (tōngcháng), 平常 (zh) (píngcháng)
Czech: běžný (cs), obvyklý (cs)
Danish: almindelig (da), vanlig, sædvanlig (da)
Dutch: gemeen (nl), gemene (nl), gewoon (nl), gewone (nl)
Esperanto: ofta (eo), normala, ordinara
Finnish: yleinen (fi), tavallinen (fi)
French: commun (fr)
Galician: común (gl)
Georgian: ჩვეულებრივი (čveulebrivi), ხშირი (xširi)
German: gewöhnlich (de), häufig (de), normal (de)
Greek: κοινός (el) (koinós), συνηθισμένος (el) (synithisménos)
Hanunoo: adok
Hawaiian: please add this translation if you can
Hebrew: שכיח (he) (shakhíakh), מָצוּי (he) (matzúy)
Hindi: सामान्य (hi) (sāmānya), साधारण (hi) (sādhāraṇ)
Hungarian: szokásos (hu), szokványos (hu), mindennapos (hu), hétköznapi (hu), megszokott (hu), (lit. well-known) közismert (hu)
Ido: ordinara (io)
Interlingua: commun
Irish: coitianta
Italian: comune (it)
Japanese: 通常 (ja) (つうじょう, tsūjō), 平常 (ja) (へいじょう, heijō)
Khmer: ទូទៅ (km) (tuu-tɨv)
Korean: 통상 (ko) (tongsang)
Kyrgyz: күнүмдүк (ky) (künümdük)
Latin: commūnis (la)
Malay: biasa
Maori: please add this translation if you can
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norwegian: vanlig (no)
Occitan: comun (oc)
Old English: ġewunelīċ
Persian: رایج (fa) (râyj), شایع (fa) (šâye'), معمول (ma'mul)
Polish: zwykły (pl), pospolity (pl), powszedni (pl), potoczny (pl), obiegowy (pl)
Portuguese: comum (pt)
Romanian: obișnuit (ro), uzual (ro), comun (ro)
Russian: обы́чный (ru) (obýčnyj), обы́денный (ru) (obýdennyj), повседне́вный (ru) (povsednévnyj), обыкнове́нный (ru) (obyknovénnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: cumanta, àbhaisteach, coitcheann
Spanish: común (es), guashquero (Guatemala)
Swedish: vanlig (sv)
Tagalog: pambalana (tl), balana
Telugu: మామూలు (te) (māmūlu)
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: please add this translation if you can
Ukrainian: зви́чний (zvýčnyj), звича́йний (zvyčájnyj)
Vietnamese: thường (vi), thông thường (vi)
Walloon: ordinaire (wa) m or f

found in large numbers or in a large quantity

Arabic: شَائِع (šāʔiʕ)
Armenian: սովորական (hy) (sovorakan)
Asturian: común (ast)
Belarusian: звычайны (be) (zvyčajny)
Bulgarian: разпространен (bg) (razprostranen)
Catalan: comú (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Czech: běžný (cs)
Dutch: veelvoorkomend (nl)
Esperanto: ofta (eo)
Finnish: yleinen (fi)
French: commun (fr)
Galician: común (gl)
Georgian: ხშირი (xširi)
German: häufig (de), nicht ungewöhnlich, gewöhnlich (de), verbreitet (de)
Hawaiian: please add this translation if you can
Hebrew: נפוץ (he) (nafótz), שכיח (he) (shakhíakh), מָצוּי (he) (matzúy)
Hindi: सामान्य (hi) (sāmānya)
Hungarian: gyakori (hu), mindennapos (hu), megszokott (hu)
Italian: comune (it)
Japanese: ざら (ja) (zara)
Khmer: please add this translation if you can
Latin: communis (la)
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norwegian: vanlig (no)
Old English: ġewunelīċ
Polish: pospolity (pl), powszechny (pl)
Portuguese: comum (pt)
Russian: обы́чный (ru) (obýčnyj), повсеме́стный (ru) (povseméstnyj), распространённый (ru) (rasprostranjónnyj)
Sanskrit: सामान्य (sa) (sāmānya)
Scottish Gaelic: cumanta, coitcheann
Spanish: común (es)
Swedish: vanlig (sv)
Telugu: సామాన్య (te) (sāmānya)
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: yaygın (tr)
Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} thường gặp, ^{(please verify)} thường thấy, ^{(please verify)} phổ biến (vi)

ordinary

Armenian: հասարակ (hy) (hasarak), սովորական (hy) (sovorakan)
Bulgarian: обикновен (bg) (obiknoven)
Catalan: ordinari (ca), vulgar (ca)
Czech: obyčejný (cs)
Dutch: gewoon (nl)
Esperanto: ordinara, vulgara
Finnish: yleinen (fi), tavallinen (fi)
French: ordinaire (fr)
Galician: común (gl)
Georgian: ჩვეულებრივი (čveulebrivi)
German: gemein (de), gewöhnlich (de), durchschnittlich (de)
Greek:
Ancient: ἀγελαῖος (agelaîos)
Hebrew: רגיל (he) (ragíl)
Hindi: साधारण (hi) (sādhāraṇ)
Hungarian: közönséges (hu), átlagos (hu), hétköznapi (hu)
Indonesian: umum (id)
Irish: coiteann
Italian: ordinario (it), volgare (it), grossolano (it)
Khmer: សម្ទាយ (km) (sɑmtiey)
Malay: biasa
Norwegian: vanlig (no)
Old English: ġewunelīċ
Ottoman Turkish: بیاغی (bayağı)
Persian: معمولی (fa) (ma'muli)
Polish: zwyczajny (pl), potoczny (pl)
Portuguese: comum (pt)
Russian: просто́й (ru) (prostój), обыкнове́нный (ru) (obyknovénnyj)
Sanskrit: साधारण (sa) (sādhāraṇa)
Spanish: común (es), guashquero (Guatemala)
Swedish: vanlig (sv)
Telugu: సామాన్య (te) (sāmānya)
Vietnamese: thường (vi), bình thường (vi)

grammar: of the gender resulting from the coalescence of the masculine and feminine genders

Armenian: please add this translation if you can
Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
Catalan: epicè (ca), neutre (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Danish: fælleskøn (da)
Dutch: commuun (nl)
Finnish: yleinen (fi)
French: (genre) commun (fr)
Galician: común (gl)
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: utral (de)
Greek: κοινός (el) (koinós)
Hungarian: közös (hu)
Italian: comune (it)
Latin: genus commune
Norwegian:
Bokmål: felleskjønn (no)

Nynorsk: felleskjønn
Occitan: comun (oc)
Polish: wspólny (pl), męsko-żeński
Portuguese: (género) comum (pt)
Russian: о́бщий род (ru) (óbščij rod)
Swedish: utral (sv)
Tagalog: pambalana (tl)
Thai: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} umum (id), ^{(please verify)} bersama (id)

Noun

common (plural commons)

Mutual good, shared by more than one.
A tract of land in common ownership; common land.
Synonym: (sg) commons
- 1944, Miles Burton, chapter 5, in The Three Corpse Trick:
  The hovel stood in the centre of what had once been a vegetable garden, but was now a patch of rank weeds. Surrounding this, almost like a zareba, was an irregular ring of gorse and brambles, an unclaimed vestige of the original common.
The people; the community.
- c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
  the weal o' the common
(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

mutual good

Bashkir: уртаҡ (urtaq) мөлкәт (mölkət), уртаҡ (urtaq) мал (mal)
Catalan: comunal m
Danish: fælles gode n
Dutch: gemeengoed (nl) n
Finnish: yhteisomaisuus
German: Gemeingut (de) m
Polish: dobro wspólne n
Welsh: commins

tract of land

Catalan: comunal m
Danish: fælled c
Dutch: (archaic) meent (nl) m
Finnish: yhteismaa (fi)
French: espace public (fr) m, espace domanial m, copropriété (fr) f
German: Allmende (de) f
Hungarian: közlegelő (hu), közös földterület
Irish: coimín m
Spanish: ejido (es) m
Swedish: allmänning (sv) c
Welsh: comin m

Verb

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

(obsolete) To communicate (something).
- 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Luke:
  Then entred Satan into Judas, whose syr name was iscariot (which was of the nombre off the twelve) and he went his waye, and commened with the hye prestes and officers, how he wolde betraye hym vnto them.
(obsolete) To converse, talk.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
  So long as Guyon with her commoned, / Vnto the ground she cast her modest eye […]
- 1568-1569, Richard Grafton, Chronicle
  Capitaine generall of Flaunders, which amiably enterteyned the sayd Duke, and after they had secretly commoned of.
(obsolete) To have sex.
(obsolete) To participate.
(obsolete) To have a joint right with others in common ground.
(obsolete) To board together; to eat at a table in common.

Derived terms

(Terms derived from the adjective, noun, or verb common):

(Place names with affix "Common"):

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.
“common”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

See also

Noun

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

References

Chinese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

See also

References

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

See also

Noun

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

References

Chinese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

See also

References