Norman

American  

[nawr-muhn] / ˈnɔr mən /

noun

1. a member of that branch of the Northmen or Scandinavians who in the 10th century conquered Normandy.

2. Also called Norman French.  one of the mixed Scandinavian and French people who inhabited Normandy and conquered England in 1066.

3. a native or inhabitant of Normandy.

4. Norman French.

5. Jessye 1945–2019, U.S. operatic soprano.

6. a city in central Oklahoma.

7. a male given name.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Normans.

2. noting or pertaining to a variety of Romanesque architecture built by the Normans, especially in England after 1066.

Norman ¹ British  

/ ˈnɔːmən /

noun

1. (in the Middle Ages) a member of the people of Normandy descended from the 10th-century Scandinavian conquerors of the country and the native French

2. a native or inhabitant of Normandy

3. another name for Norman French

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Normans, esp the Norman kings of England, the Norman people living in England, or their dialect of French

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of Normandy or its inhabitants

3. denoting, relating to, or having the style of Romanesque architecture used in Britain from the Norman Conquest until the 12th century. It is characterized by the rounded arch, the groin vault, massive masonry walls, etc

Norman ² British  

/ ˈnɔːmən /

noun

1. Greg. born 1955, Australian golfer: winner of the British Open (1986, 1993)

2. Jessye (ˈdʒɛsɪ). born 1945, US soprano: noted for her interpretations of Wagner and Mahler

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Other Word Forms

• non-Norman
  noun
• pre-Norman
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Norman

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French Normant, from Old Norse Northmathr “Northman”

Example Sentences

Louise Lasser, the star of “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” Norman Lear’s satirical soap opera, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

The 11th Century embroidery, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is being loaned to the UK while its usual home, the Bayeux Museum in Normandy, undergoes a major renovation.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Norman Siegel, one of the nation’s leading civil liberties attorneys, has led large-scale voting rights and voting registration efforts in the south and around the country.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2026

Presumably Mr. Norman will fulfill the Ringo requirement at some point.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Paralleling my mom’s insistence that I attend Riverdale because John F. Kennedy had once gone to school there, she was won over to Valley Forge when she heard that General Norman Schwarzkopf was a graduate.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore