norm
[ nawrm ]
/ nɔrm /
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.
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Nearby words
norite, noritic, 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
Related formsnorm·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for norms
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
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Word Origin and History for norms
norm
"standard, pattern, model," 1821, from French norme, from Latin norma "carpenter's square, rule, pattern," of unknown origin. Klein suggests a borrowing (via Etruscan) of Greek gnomon "carpenter's square." The Latin form of the word, norma, was used in English in the sense of "carpenter's square" from 1670s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper