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common cold a common viral respiratory infection, accompanied by nasal congestion, sore throat, coughing, and the like; cold.
common courtesy something generally done or said in a given situation in order to be considerate or polite.
common denominator a number that is a common multiple of the denominators of more than one fraction. [2 definitions]
commoner one of the common people, as opposed to the aristocracy or the upper classes.
Common Era see "Christian Era."
common fraction a fraction represented by a numerator, above a horizontal or diagonal line, and a denominator below. (Cf. decimal fraction.)
common law law based on custom or usage and on court decisions and opinions, rather than on statute. (Cf. statute law.)
common-law marriage a marriage not contracted through a religious or civil ceremony but recognized as legal after the partners have lived together for a legally specified period of time.
commonly ordinarily; usually. [2 definitions]
Common Market an economic association of major western European countries mainly designed to eliminate tariffs on trade among member nations and establish uniform tariffs on goods from other countries; European Economic Community. [2 definitions]
common noun a noun, such as "boy," "poodle," or "town," that refers to a class, or to an unspecified member of a class, of persons, places, things, or the like, and that is often preceded by an article. (Cf. proper noun.)
commonplace unremarkable or ordinary. [4 definitions]
commonplace book a notebook in which one records quotations, poems, extracts, thoughts, and the like.
common sense practical judgment based on experience or native intelligence, and not on education or training.
common stock ordinary capital shares of a corporation that often provide dividends and confer voting privileges, but that place their owners' claims, in the event the corporation liquidates, below those of holders of preferred stocks or bonds.
common time a musical meter of four beats, usu. quarter notes, to the measure; four-four time.
commonweal the public welfare; common good.
commonwealth a political unit, usu. a state or nation, or the people thereof. [3 definitions]
Commonwealth Day in much of the British Commonwealth, the second Monday in March, when the Commonwealth is recognized.
Commonwealthmen group of British thinkers and reformers whose ideas of republicanism, civic virtue, and liberty had an influence on the leaders of the American Revolution.
commotion an agitated or noisy disturbance. [2 definitions]