norm

¹

[ nawrm ]

noun

1. a standard, model, or pattern.
2. general level or average:

   Two cars per family is the norm in most suburban communities.

3. a behavior pattern or trait considered typical of a particular social group:

   The patients regained the norms of everyday life after their hospitalization.

4. Sociology. a pattern or standard of behavior expected of each member of a social group:

   In many countries, cultural norms result in women bearing primary responsibility for childcare.

5. Education.
   1. a designated standard of average performance of people of a given age, background, etc.
   2. a standard based on the past average performance of a given individual.
6. Mathematics.
   1. 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.
   2. the greatest difference between two successive points of a given partition.

Norm.

²

abbreviation for

1. Norman.

Norm.

¹

abbreviation for

1. Norman

Norm

²

/ nɔːm /

noun

1. a stereotype of the unathletic Australian male

norm.

³

abbreviation for

1. normal

norm

⁴

/ nɔːm /

noun

1. an average level of achievement or performance, as of a group or person
2. a standard of achievement or behaviour that is required, desired, or designated as normal
3. sociol an established standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group to which each member is expected to conform
4. maths
   1. the length of a vector expressed as the square root of the sum of the square of its components
   2. another name for mode
5. geology the theoretical standard mineral composition of an igneous rock

Other Words From

• norm·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of norm¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin norma “carpenter's square, rule, pattern”

Word History and Origins

Origin of norm¹

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

Origin of norm²

C19: from Latin norma carpenter's rule, square

Example Sentences

“And he’s doing that because it is the norm, yes, but also the right thing to do for the American people.”

From Los Angeles Times

While the Supreme Court's guidelines can be seen as a positive step towards preventing such demolitions from becoming the norm, observers point out that implementing the order will be key in ensuring the practice stops.

From BBC

Bhaghani’s consistency in making 14 of 17 field-goal attempts this season has done more than put the sophomore in the conversation to join Norm Johnson, John Lee, Chris Sailer, Justin Medlock and Ka’imi Fairbairn as one of the Bruins’ all-time great kickers; it has also earned him the nickname “Money Bhags” from special teams coordinator Kodi Whitfield.

From Los Angeles Times

New York state, New Jersey, and Connecticut are battling dozens of wildfires, well above the norm.

From Slate

“It’s the norm and the custom. It’s embedded in the U.S. attorneys manual,” said Washington lawyer Stuart Gerson, a former acting U.S. attorney general.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• benchmark
• criterion
• measure
• model
• pattern
• rule