com·mon   (kŏm'ən)    adj.   com·mon·er, com·mon·est Belonging equally to or shared equally by two or more; joint: common interests. Of or relating to the community as a whole; public: for the common good. See Usage Note at mutual. Occurring frequently or habitually; usual. Most widely known; ordinary: the common housefly. Not distinguished by superior or noteworthy characteristics; average: the common spectator. Of no special quality; standard: common procedure. Of mediocre or inferior quality; second-rate: common cloth. Either masculine or feminine in gender. Representing one or all of the members of a class; not designating a unique entity. Widespread; prevalent. Occurring frequently or habitually; usual. Most widely known; ordinary: the common housefly. Not distinguished by superior or noteworthy characteristics; average: the common spectator. Of no special quality; standard: common procedure. Of mediocre or inferior quality; second-rate: common cloth. Either masculine or feminine in gender. Representing one or all of the members of a class; not designating a unique entity. Having no special designation, status, or rank: a common sailor. Not distinguished by superior or noteworthy characteristics; average: the common spectator. Of no special quality; standard: common procedure. Of mediocre or inferior quality; second-rate: common cloth. Either masculine or feminine in gender. Representing one or all of the members of a class; not designating a unique entity. Unrefined or coarse in manner; vulgar: behavior that branded him as common. Grammar Either masculine or feminine in gender. Representing one or all of the members of a class; not designating a unique entity. n.   commons The common people; commonalty. commons (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The social class composed of commoners. The parliamentary representatives of this class. The House of Commons. Often used in the plural. A tract of land, usually in a centrally located spot, belonging to or used by a community as a whole: a band concert on the village common. The legal right of a person to use the lands or waters of another, as for fishing. commons (used with a sing. verb) A building or hall for dining, typically at a university or college. Common stock. Ecclesiastical A service used for a particular class of festivals. [Middle English commune, from Old French commun, from Latin commūnis; see mei-1 in Indo-European roots.] com'mon·ly adv., com'mon·ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives describe what is generally known or frequently encountered. Common applies to what takes place often, is widely used, or is well known: The botanist studied the common dandelion. The term also implies coarseness or a lack of distinction: My wallet was stolen by a common thief. Ordinary describes something usual that is indistinguishable from others, sometimes derogatorily: A ballpoint pen is adequate for ordinary purposes. The critic gave the ordinary performance a mediocre review. Familiar applies to what is well known or quickly recognized: Most children can recite familiar nursery rhymes. Vulgar describes association with the great mass of people and often connotes lack of refinement: "He [Shakespeare] was not something sacred and aloof from the vulgar herd of men" (William Hazlitt). See Also Synonyms at general.

Common

Com"mon\, a. [Compar. Commoner; superl. Commonest.] [OE. commun, comon, OF. comun, F. commun, fr. L. communis; com- + munis ready to be of service; cf. Skr. mi to make fast, set up, build, Goth. gamains common, G. gemein, and E. mean low, common. Cf. Immunity, Commune, n. & v.]

1. Belonging or relating equally, or similarly, to more than one; as, you and I have a common interest in the property.

Though life and sense be common to men and brutes. --Sir M. Hale.

2. Belonging to or shared by, affecting or serving, all the members of a class, considered together; general; public; as, properties common to all plants; the common schools; the Book of Common Prayer.

Such actions as the common good requireth. --Hooker.

The common enemy of man. --Shak.

3. Often met with; usual; frequent; customary.

Grief more than common grief. --Shak.

4. Not distinguished or exceptional; inconspicuous; ordinary; plebeian; -- often in a depreciatory sense.

The honest, heart-felt enjoyment of common life. --W. Irving.

This fact was infamous And ill beseeming any common man, Much more a knight, a captain and a leader. --Shak.

Above the vulgar flight of common souls. --A. Murphy.

5. Profane; polluted. [Obs.]

What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. --Acts x. 15.

6. Given to habits of lewdness; prostitute.

A dame who herself was common. --L'Estrange.

Common bar (Law) Same as Blank bar, under Blank.

Common barrator (Law), one who makes a business of instigating litigation.

Common Bench, a name sometimes given to the English Court of Common Pleas.

Common brawler (Law), one addicted to public brawling and quarreling. See Brawler.

Common carrier (Law), one who undertakes the office of carrying (goods or persons) for hire. Such a carrier is bound to carry in all cases when he has accommodation, and when his fixed price is tendered, and he is liable for all losses and injuries to the goods, except those which happen in consequence of the act of God, or of the enemies of the country, or of the owner of the property himself.

Common chord (Mus.), a chord consisting of the fundamental tone, with its third and fifth.

Common council, the representative (legislative) body, or the lower branch of the representative body, of a city or other municipal corporation.

Common crier, the crier of a town or city.

Common divisor (Math.), a number or quantity that divides two or more numbers or quantities without a remainder; a common measure.

Common gender (Gram.), the gender comprising words that may be of either the masculine or the feminine gender.

Common law, a system of jurisprudence developing under the guidance of the courts so as to apply a consistent and reasonable rule to each litigated case. It may be superseded by statute, but unless superseded it controls. --Wharton.

Note: It is by others defined as the unwritten law (especially of England), the law that receives its binding force from immemorial usage and universal reception, as ascertained and expressed in the judgments of the courts. This term is often used in contradistinction from statute law. Many use it to designate a law common to the whole country. It is also used to designate the whole body of English (or other) law, as distinguished from its subdivisions, local, civil, admiralty, equity, etc. See Law.

Common lawyer, one versed in common law.

Common lewdness (Law), the habitual performance of lewd acts in public.

Common multiple (Arith.) See under Multiple.

Common noun (Gram.), the name of any one of a class of objects, as distinguished from a proper noun (the name of a particular person or thing).

Common nuisance (Law), that which is deleterious to the health or comfort or sense of decency of the community at large.

Common pleas, one of the three superior courts of common law at Westminster, presided over by a chief justice and four puisne judges. Its jurisdiction is confined to civil matters. Courts bearing this title exist in several of the United States, having, however, in some cases, both civil and criminal jurisdiction extending over the whole State. In other States the jurisdiction of the common pleas is limited to a county, and it is sometimes called a county court. Its powers are generally defined by statute.

Common prayer, the liturgy of the Church of England, or of the Protestant Episcopal church of the United States, which all its clergy are enjoined to use. It is contained in the Book of Common Prayer.

Common school, a school maintained at the public expense, and open to all.

Common scold (Law), a woman addicted to scolding indiscriminately, in public.

Common seal, a seal adopted and used by a corporation.

Common sense. (a) A supposed sense which was held to be the common bond of all the others. [Obs.] --Trench. (b) Sound judgment. See under Sense.

Common time (Mus.), that variety of time in which the measure consists of two or of four equal portions.

In common, equally with another, or with others; owned, shared, or used, in community with others; affecting or affected equally.

Out of the common, uncommon; extraordinary.

Tenant in common, one holding real or personal property in common with others, having distinct but undivided interests. See Joint tenant, under Joint.

To make common cause with, to join or ally one's self with.

Syn: General; public; popular; national; universal; frequent; ordinary; customary; usual; familiar; habitual; vulgar; mean; trite; stale; threadbare; commonplace. See Mutual, Ordinary, General.

common 

Main Entry: com·mon
Function: adjective
1 a : of or relating to a community at large : PUBLIC <common defense> b : known to the community common thief>
2 : belonging to or shared by two or more persons or things or by all members of a group common disaster> <common areas of the building>
3 : of or relating to common stock <common shares>

Main Entry: com·mon
Pronunciation: 'käm-&n
Function: adjective
: formed of or dividing into two or more branches common facialvein> <common iliac vessels>

common

In addition to the idioms beginning with common, also see in common.

common

in Anglo-American property law, an area of land for use by the public. The term originated in feudal England, where the "waste," or uncultivated land, of a lord's manor could be used for pasture and firewood by his tenants. For centuries this right of commons conflicted with the lord's right to "approve" (i.e., appropriate for his own use) any of his waste, provided he left enough land to support the commoners' livestock. In the 19th century the right of approvement was in effect assumed by the government. Under modern agriculture, common pasturing became obsolete, and commons became public land used mostly for recreation.

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