Word definition: standard

Etimology


From Middle English standard, from Old French estandart (“gathering place, battle flag”), from Frankish *standahard (literally “stand firm, stand hard”), equivalent to stand +‎ -ard. Alternative etymology derives the second element from Frankish *oʀd (“point, spot, place”) (compare Old French ordé (“pointed”), Old English ord (“point, source, vanguard”), German Standort (“location, place, site, position, base”, literally “standing-point”)). Merged with Middle English standar, stander, standere (“flag, banner”, literally “stander”), equivalent to stand +‎ -er. More at stand, hard, ord.

adjective


standard (comparative more standard, superlative most standard)

Falling within an accepted range of size, amount, power, quality, etc.

(of a tree or shrub) Growing alone as a free-standing plant; not trained on a post etc.

Having recognized excellence or authority.

Of a usable or serviceable grade or quality.

(not comparable, of a motor vehicle) Having a manual transmission.

As normally supplied (not optional).

(linguistics) Conforming to the standard variety.

Examples


There are women who cannot grow alone as standard trees;—for whom the support and warmth of some wall, some paling, some post, is absolutely necessary […].

standard works in history; standard authors

Related words


antonyms

nonstandard, non-standard

noun


standard (plural standards)

A principle or example or measure used for comparison.

A vertical pole with something at its apex.

A manual transmission vehicle.

(botany) The upper petal or banner of a papilionaceous corolla.

(shipbuilding) An inverted knee timber placed upon the deck instead of beneath it, with its vertical branch turned upward from that which lies horizontally.

A large drinking cup.

(historical) A collar of mail protecting the neck.

Short for standard poodle.

Examples


The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; […]. Our table in the dining-room became again the abode of scintillating wit and caustic repartee, Farrar bracing up to his old standard, and the demand for seats in the vicinity rose to an animated competition.

the court, which used to be the standard of propriety and correctness of speech

A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman.

By the present standard of the coinage, sixty-two shillings is coined out of one pound weight of silver.

I finished my twelfth standard with less than stellar marks.

I am in fifth standard.

It was called the wickedest street in London and the entrance was just here. I imagine the mouth of the road lay between this lamp standard and the second from the next down there.

His armies, in the following day, / On those fair plains their standards proud display.

In the more temperate parts of France [gardens are] part laid out for Flowers, others for Fruits, ſome Standards, ſome againſt Walls or Paliſades, [...]

It [Loranthus europaeus] grows chiefly on the branches of standards over coppice.

Frolic, my lords; let all the standards walk, / Ply it till every man hath ta’en his load.

Synonym: pisane

The scales generally showed on the face of the garment or defence, and we find body armour, gorgets, habergeons, standards or neck defences, and even the camailt of this class of armour.

Goldsmiths also made gold and silver mail for the decorations of helmets and gorgets. The will of Duke Philip the Good shows that he owned a mail standard made of solid gold.

The throat and upper chest was protected by the gorget plate, mail standard or a metal wrapper. Whichever helm Richard chose to wear, it might have had a keyhole at the top to allowed insignia to be inserted.

[page 286:] A defense for the neck variously described as a combination of gorget and bevor worn with a salade, and as a standard of mail, or collar, worn under the plate gorget.[page 426:] Baron de Cosson says : “Thus in the British Museum there is a standard of mail of which the rings of the top edge are exceedingly close and stiff, […] "

Mail was also used to provide skirts substituting for tassets, for collars called "standards" substituting for gorgets, as well as for coats and shirts . Consequently finding a few links gives little or no clue to their source. The few from the Fort, however, include copper-alloy links, ...

Since standards are large dogs, they grow much more rapidly than miniatures and toys, which means that they require more supplements.

Related words


hyponyms

bog standard

double standard

gold standard

time standard

interjection


standard

(UK, slang) An expression of agreement.

Data provided by Wiktionary