common

common · adjective, noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-
2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱom-moy-ni-s
3. Proto-Italic*kommoinis
4. Old Latincomoinis
5. Latincommūnis
6. Anglo-Normancomun
7. Middle Englishcomun
8. English todaycommon

From Middle English comun, from Anglo-Norman comun, from Old French comun (rare in the Gallo-Romance languages, but reinforced as a Carolingian calque of Proto-West Germanic *gamainī (“common”) in Old French), from Latin commūnis (“common, public, general”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱom-moy-ni-s (“held in common”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to exchange, change”). Displaced native Middle English imene, ȝemǣne (“common, general, universal”) (from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English mene, mǣne (“mean, common”) (also from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English samen, somen (“in common, together”) (from Old English samen (“together”)). Doublet of gmina and mean.

Common · proper noun²

Probably a variant of Cumming or a reduced form of McCommon.

Words from the same roots