familiar
/fəˈmɪl.jəɹ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.61 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Known to one, or generally known; commonplace.
adj
adj
Of or pertaining to a family; familial.
Example Sentences
- "There’s a familiar face; that tune sounds familiar."
- "The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad."
- "Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field."
- "I'm quite familiar with this system; she's not familiar with manual gears."
- "We are on familiar terms now; our neighbour is not familiar"
- "Don’t be familiar with me, boy!"
Etymology
From Middle English familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”). By surface analysis, family + -ar. Piecewise doublet of familial. Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *dʰeh₁-, familiar,familier, familiāris
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /fəˈmɪl.jəɹ/
- British English: /fəˈmɪl.i.ə/