How do you pronounce common?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɔmən/.

Where does common come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

common

/ˈkɔmən/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.20 in modern English

Syllables: com-mon
IPA: /ˈkɔmən/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Mutual; shared by more than one.

adj

Existing among virtually all people; universal.

adj

Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual.

adj

Found in large numbers or in a large quantity; usual.

adj

Simple, ordinary or vulgar.

adj

As part of the vernacular name of a species, usually denoting that it is abundant or widely known.

adj

Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal.

adj

Arising from use or tradition, as opposed to being created by a legislative body.

Example Sentences

"The two competitors have the common aim of winning the championship."
"Winning the championship is an aim common to the two competitors."
"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."
"They shared a common dread that he would begin moaning."
"And now a common enemy—pollution—promises to press the littoral nations of the Baltic into common cause."
"common knowledge, common decency, common sense"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey- Proto-Indo-European *ḱom-moy-ni-s Proto-Italic *kommoinis Old Latin comoinis Latin commūnis Anglo-Norman comunbor. Middle English comun English common 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.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *mey- (change), comun, -, commūnis, *mey-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɔmən/
British English: /ˈkɒmən/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

commoner (common, comparative) most common (superlative) commonest (superlative) commons (plural) commons (present, singular) commoning (participle, present) commoned (participle, past) commoned (past)

Derived Forms

commonable commonality commonalty commoner commonfolk commonhold commonhood commonise commonish commonize commonly commonness

Phrases

ASEAN Common Time Asian common toad by common consent common adder common ageratum common agouti common alder) common allamanda

Frequently Paired Words

feminine female masculine male neuter frequency mediocre normal

Synonyms

mutual shared collective common corporate joint united catholic general ecumenical generic nonsingular

Antonyms

personal individual peculiar first and last lone one one and only only single singular sole solitary

Rhymes With

uncommon rahman aman brahman hamann bahman ahmann ommen strommen lahman clapham common