norm

[ nawrm ]

/ nɔrm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR norm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a standard, model, or pattern.

general level or average: Two cars per family is the norm in most suburban communities.

Education.

a designated standard of average performance of people of a given age, background, etc.
a standard based on the past average performance of a given individual.

Mathematics.

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.
the greatest difference between two successive points of a given partition.

Words nearby norm

norilsk, norite, nork, norland, norleucine, norm, norm., norma, normal, normal antibody, normal antitoxin

Origin of norm

First recorded in 1815–25, norm is from the Latin word norma carpenter's square, rule, pattern

OTHER WORDS FROM norm

norm·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for norms

That fantasy, however, is still heavily regimented by all sorts of norms.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I had started to become disillusioned with the norms of how people put together social structures,” recalls Miller.
DJ Spooky Wants You To Question Everything You Know About Music, Technology, and Philosophy|Oliver Jones|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It is a crime that goes against all human values and norms,” he continued.
Abu Dhabi Treats U.S. Teacher’s Murder as Terrorist Attack|Chris Allbritton|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of the norms that guided urban life were exactly the opposite of today's.
Great Cities are Born Filthy|Will Doig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Anyone who defies these so-called “norms” becomes worthy of comment and scrutiny, and the LGBT community knows this all too well.
Ellen Page Comes Out As Gay in a Beautiful Speech at Human Rights Campaign Foundation Conference|Marlow Stern|February 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The norms for girls appear in the second horizontal column, the norms for boys in the column at the bottom.
The Science of Human Nature|William Henry Pyle
Of these norms, those governing marriage relations were of first importance.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
For scientific work on the norms of a particular legal system requires that concepts be formed of the norms of just this system.
Anarchism|Paul Eltzbacher
Binet was the first to utilize the idea of age standards, or norms, in the measurement of intelligence.
The Measurement of Intelligence|Lewis Madison Terman
And lastly, the norms of international law, which are intended to bind the will of States, cannot be based on the will of a State.
Anarchism|Paul Eltzbacher

British Dictionary definitions for norms (1 of 2)

norm

/ (nɔːm) /

noun

an average level of achievement or performance, as of a group or person

a standard of achievement or behaviour that is required, desired, or designated as normal

sociol an established standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group to which each member is expected to conform

maths

the length of a vector expressed as the square root of the sum of the square of its components
another name for mode (def. 6)

geology the theoretical standard mineral composition of an igneous rock

Word Origin for norm

C19: from Latin norma carpenter's rule, square

British Dictionary definitions for norms (2 of 2)

Norm

/ (nɔːm) /

noun

a stereotype of the unathletic Australian male

Word Origin for Norm

from a cartoon figure in the government-sponsored Life, Be In It campaign

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