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.

adj

1. 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.
2. Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual.
   It is common to find sharks off this coast.
   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. 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193
3. 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.
   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.) 2012-03, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128
   Machine learning was the most common method of AI listed in patent requests. Audio (US) (file) 3 February 2019, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America, archived from the original on 2019-02-07
4. Simple, ordinary or vulgar.
   above the vulgar flight of common souls 1768, Arthur Murphy, Zenobia
   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. 1893, Florian Cajori, A History of Mathematics
5. (grammar) Of, pertaining or belonging to the common gender.
6. (grammar) Of or pertaining to common nouns as opposed to proper nouns.
7. Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal, i.e., common name vs. scientific name.
8. (obsolete) Profane; polluted.
9. (obsolete) Given to lewd habits; prostitute.

noun

1. Mutual good, shared by more than one.
2. A tract of land in common ownership; common land.
   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. 1944, Miles Burton, chapter 5, in The Three Corpse Trick
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.

verb

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.