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norm

 - 8 dictionary results

norm

  [nawrm]
Use norm in a Sentence
–noun
1. a standard, model, or pattern.
2. general level or average: Two cars per family is the norm in most suburban communities.
3. Education.
a. a designated standard of average performance of people of a given age, background, etc.
b. a standard based on the past average performance of a given individual.
4. Mathematics.
a. a real-valued, nonnegative function whose domain is a vector space, with properties such that the function of a vector is zero only when the vector is zero, the function of a scalar times a vector is equal to the absolute value of the scalar times the function of the vector, and the function of the sum of two vectors is less than or equal to the sum of the functional values of each vector. The norm of a real number is its absolute value.
b. the greatest difference between two successive points of a given partition.
Origin:
1815–25; < L norma carpenter's square, rule, pattern

Related forms:
normless, adjective

Norm.

 
Norman.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To norm
norm   (nôrm)   
n.  

  1. A standard, model, or pattern regarded as typical: the current middle-class norm of two children per family.

  2. Mathematics

    1. A mode.

    2. An average.

    3. The length of a vector.


[French norme, from Old French, from Latin norma, carpenter's square, norm; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

norm 
"standard, pattern, model," 1821, from Fr. norme, from O.Fr., from L. norma "carpenter's square, rule, pattern," of unknown origin. Klein suggests a borrowing (via Etruscan) of Gk. gnomon "carpenter's square." The L. form of the word, norma, was used in Eng. in the sense of "carpenter's square" from 1676.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: norm
Pronunciation: 'no(&)rm
Function: noun
: an established standard or average: as a : a set standard of development orachievement usually derived from the average or median achievement of a large group b : a pattern or trait taken to be typical in the behavior of a social group
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Computing Dictionary

norm mathematics
A real-valued function modelling the length of a vector. The norm must be homogeneous and symmetric and fulfil the following condition: the shortest way to reach a point is to go straight toward it. Every convex symmetric closed surface surrounding point 0 introduces a norm by means of Minkowski functional; all vectors that end on the surface have the same norm then.
The most popular norm is the Euclidean norm.
(2004-02-15)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
norm

  1. standard

  2. model

  3. pattern

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

norm

rule or standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group. Norms may be internalized-i.e., incorporated within the individual so that there is conformity without external rewards or punishments, or they may be enforced by positive or negative sanctions from without. The social unit sharing particular norms may be small (e.g., a clique of friends) or may include all adult members of a society. Norms are more specific than values or ideals: honesty is a general value, but the rules defining what is honest behaviour in a particular situation are norms

Learn more about norm with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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