commons
English meaning: Commons
Definition
Mutual good, shared by more than one.
Example
“The bill passed the House of Commons after a long debate.”
Another example: “Children played on the grassy commons at the heart of the old town.”
Usage — When, Where & How
As a plural, 'commons' chiefly names: shared land open to a community ('the village commons'), a dining hall, and (capitalised) the House of Commons in the UK and Canada. 'The commons' also means shared resources (e.g. 'the digital commons'). Slightly formal.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Latin 'communis' (shared, common), via Old French 'comun'; the sense of shared land dates from late Middle English.
Related Words
- attribution
- peerage
- lords
- wiki
- matriculated
- riding
- constituency
- mps
- baronet
- parliament
Common Collocations
- house of commons
- the village commons
- creative commons
- tragedy of the commons
- grazing commons
- boston common
Word Forms
common (adj/n); commons (pl)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B