norman
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The langue d'oïl variant, closely related to the French of Île-de-France, spoken in Normandy and the Channel Islands.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nawrmuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnɔɹmən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The langue d'oïl variant, closely related to the French of Île-de-France (i.e. Paris), spoken in Normandy and the Channel Islands, and was for several centuries the ruling language of England.
A member of the mixed Scandinavian and Frankish peoples who, in the 11th century, were a major military power in Western Europe and who conquered the English in 1066.
United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)
A number of places in the United States
Two townships in Minnesota, in Pine County and Yellow Medicine County.
An inactive township in Dent County, Missouri.
adjective
Of or pertaining to Normandy or its inhabitants (present or past).
Relating to the Norman language or the dialect of French spoken in Normandy.
Relating to the Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans after the Norman Conquest, characterized by large arches and heavy columns.
Of or relating to or characteristic of the Normans
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The langue d'oïl variant, closely related to the French of Île-de-France (i.e. Paris), spoken in Normandy and the Channel Islands, and was for several centuries the ruling language of England.
Used this way, norman is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The medieval Norman dialect of Old French.
Canadian filmmaker (born in 1926).
United States writer (born in 1923).
The invasion and settlement of England by the Normans following the battle of Hastings (1066).
A Romanesque style first appearing in Normandy around 950 AD and used in Britain from the Norman Conquest until the 12th century.
Australian golfer (born in 1955).
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “norman” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.