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Norman

[nawr-muh n]
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(def 1).
  5. Jes·sye [jes-ee] /ˈdʒɛs i/, born 1945, 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.
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Origin of Norman

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French Normant < Old Norse Northmathr Northman
Related formsnon-Nor·man, noun, adjectivepre-Nor·man, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for norman

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Inside there is a good deal of transitional Norman work to be seen.

  • The Norman hath a mangonel or a trabuch upon the forecastle.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • "'Tis the badge of Tete-noire, the Norman," cried a seaman-mariner.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • Norman towers were sometimes capped with spires in the thirteenth century.

    English Villages

    P. H. Ditchfield

  • The walls of Norman buildings are thick and massive, and are often faced with cut stone.

    English Villages

    P. H. Ditchfield

British Dictionary definitions for norman

Norman1

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
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Norman2

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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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for norman

Norman

n.

c.1200, "one of the mixed Scandinavian-Frankish people who conquered England in 1066," from Old French Normanz, plural of Normand, Normant, literally "North man," from a Scandinavian word meaning "northman" (see Norse), in reference to the Scandinavian people who overran and occupied Normandy 10c. Later meaning "one of the Norman French who conquered England in 1066." As an adjective from 1580s. As a style of architecture, developed in Normandy and employed in England after the conquest, it is attested from 1797. Norseman (1817) is not historical and appears to be due to Scott.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper