common

Main Entry:: ¹com·mon
Pronunciation:: \ˈkä-mən\
Function:: 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 : coarse6: 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>.

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