commoner

[kom-uh-ner]

noun

1. a common person, as distinguished from one with rank, status, etc.

2. British.

   1. any person ranking below a peer; a person without a title of nobility.

   2. a member of the House of Commons.

   3. (at Oxford and some other universities) a student who pays the cost to dine at the commons and other expenses and is not supported by any scholarship or foundation.

3. a person who has a joint right in common land.

commoner

/ ˈkɒmənə /

noun

1. a person who does not belong to the nobility

2. a person who has a right in or over common land jointly with another or others

3. a student at a university or other institution who is not on a scholarship

Word History and Origins

Origin of commoner¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; common + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

LONDON—It was supposed to be the moment a shamed prince was reduced to humble commoner.

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He convened the Estates General—representing the nobles, the clergy and the commoners—to break the deadlock.

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National Trust Cymru said the decision was made "following complaints" about a stallion and the number of horses exceeding "the agreed limit" in the commoner's right to graze.

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She may have been rich, but Katharine was still a commoner.

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The New Forest's National Park's free-roaming ponies, pigs, donkeys and cattle are owned by commoners - people who own or occupy land with ancient rights attached.

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