Trivia Time

Familiar comes from a Latin word referring to what?

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familiar

American  

[fuh-mil-yer] / fəˈmɪl jər /

adjective

1. commonly or generally known or seen.

   a familiar sight.

2. well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant.

   to be familiar with a subject.

3. informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained.

   to write in a familiar style.

4. closely intimate or personal.

   a familiar friend; to be on familiar terms.

5. unduly intimate; too personal; taking liberties; presuming.

   The duchess disliked familiar servants.

   Synonyms:

   bold, forward

6. domesticated; tame.

7. of or relating to a family or household.

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noun

familiars plural

1. a familiar friend or associate.

2.  familiar spirit.  Witchcraft and Demonology. a supernatural spirit or demon, often in the form of an animal, supposed to serve and aid a witch or other individual.

3. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. an officer of the Inquisition, employed to arrest accused or suspected persons.

   2. a person who belongs to the household of the pope or of a bishop, rendering domestic though not menial service.

familiar British  

/ fəˈmɪlɪə /

adjective

1. well-known; easily recognized

   a familiar figure

2. frequent or customary

   a familiar excuse

3. acquainted

4. friendly; informal

5. close; intimate

6. more intimate than is acceptable; presumptuous

7. an archaic word for familial

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noun

1. Also called: familiar spirit.  a supernatural spirit often assuming animal form, supposed to attend and aid a witch, wizard, etc

2. a person, attached to the household of the pope or a bishop, who renders service in return for support

3. an officer of the Inquisition who arrested accused persons

4. a friend or frequent companion

familiar Idioms  

1. see have a familiar ring.

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Synonym Usage

Familiar, confidential, intimate suggest a long association between persons. Familiar means well-acquainted with another person: a familiar friend. Confidential suggests a sense of mutual trust that extends to the sharing of confidences and secrets: a confidential adviser. Intimate suggests close acquaintance or connection, often based on interest, sympathy, or affection: intimate and affectionate letters.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• familiarness
  noun
• nonfamiliar
  adjective
• overfamiliar
  adjective
• prefamiliar
  adjective
• quasi-familiar
  adjective
• ultrafamiliar
  adjective
• familiarly
  adverb
• nonfamiliarly
  adverb
• overfamiliarly
  adverb
• prefamiliarly
  adverb
• quasi-familiarly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• familiars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of familiar

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin familiāris “of a household,” see family, -ar ¹

Explanation

When something is so commonplace you know it well, it's familiar. A familiar song might be one that you hum along to without even thinking about it. Like family, anything or anyone you're familiar with has been in your life for a while. It can be used in many ways. After six years of Spanish, you'll be familiar with how to conjugate verbs. You and your close friends are on familiar terms. The smell of musty tent fabric is familiar to anyone who grew up going camping a lot, and may bring on a wave of nostalgia.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

familiar familiars

Prosecutors in Taiwan have detained an Nvidia employee as part of an investigation into the smuggling of the US tech giant's AI chips to China, a source familiar with the case told AFP on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Governor Christopher Waller, a former economics professor with a reputation for saying what others won’t, put Warsh on the spot, according to several people familiar with the dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

And it was the description of a so-called fearful-avoidant - one of the four attachment styles - which felt strikingly familiar.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Joshua's comeback against Prenga was one of the bravest performances of his career but it also highlighted familiar vulnerabilities.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The time I spent in the store, getting familiar with the wares, was always the most tolerable part of my day.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

With AI, videogames and “Dungeons and Dragons”-type sessions will evolve and merge into an interactive immersive fiction created by the collaboration of a small group of friends and each of their ever-present AI familiars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

"Once you are known, the name begins not to matter. People look at the person behind the name. To my familiars, I was just 'Monsieur Charles'. So I decided to keep it," he said.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

“The Night Market” involved extra layers, from international vendors hawking their weird wares to vampires cheering on the battles of the familiars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2023

Spooky Grymalkin Candle Lamp: Inspired by one of the witches’ familiars in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” this stylish candle lamp comes with a votive glass and candle to light up the cat’s dazzling red eyes.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2022

“We send our prayers off in the night, and the familiars carry them on our behalf straight to the gods’ ears.”

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

• intimate
• mundane
• recognizable
• simple
• usual