Lexica → Word → common
| Letter | C |
|---|---|
| Letter name | cee |
| Pronounciation | /siː/ |
| Word: | common |
|---|---|
| Pronounciation: | |
| Century: | 13th |
| DA Name: | common |
| Era: | C.E. |
| Origin: | Original |
| Type: | Official |
| Source Language: | Latin |
Source Language Words: | |
| Source Text: | |
Definition: | From 13th Century Latin communis meaning "to entrust, commit to a burden, public duty, service or obligation". Created from the combination of two ancient pre-Vatican Latin words com/comitto = "to entrust, commit" and munis = "burden, public duty, service or obligation". From its earliest creation by the College of Abbreviators of the ROMAN CULT, the word has literally implied "willing CONSENT to public order and control over the many". The word acquired its historical meaning as an insult by nobles and clergy against "the ignorant and uneducated"-- especially trades people and woman --from the 14th Century at the time it was first used to describe the Commons "the third estate of the English people as represented in Parliament" from 1377. The word has since retained both its assumed meaning as "representing in general, the public, by all or many" as well as a term of insult by the wealthy and elite against the public ever since. |
