normal

 normal on Wikipedia

 Normal number on Wikipedia

From Latin normālis (“made according to a carpenter's square; later: according to a rule”), from nōrma (“carpenter's square”), of uncertain origin;^[1][2][3][4] doublet of normale. The earliest meaning of the word in English was "perpendicular; forming a right angle" like something normālis (“made according to a carpenter's square”),^[1][5] but by Late Latin normālis had also come to mean "according to a rule", from which modern English senses of the word derive:^[5] in the 1800s, as people began to quantitatively study things like height, weight and blood pressure, the usual or most common values came to be called "normal", and by extension values regarded as healthy or desirable came to be called "normal" regardless of their usuality.^[6]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnɔːml̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈnɔɹm(ə)l/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)məl
• Hyphenation: norm‧al

normal (comparative normaler or more normal, superlative normalest or most normal)

1. According to norms or rules or to a regular pattern.

   Organize the data into third normal form.

   • 2007, Steven Wilson, "Normal", Porcupine Tree, Nil Recurring.

     Prescription drugs, they help me through the day
     And that restraining order keeps me well at bay
     And what's normal now, anyway?

   • 2014, Michael Rush, Politics & Society, Routledge, →ISBN, page 210:

     In other words, although the legal processes were observed, it was not a normal transfer of power within each of the ruling communist parties. […] Demonstrations of the sort that brought about the collapse of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe were not normal, and where attempts had previously been made to hold them, they were invariably suppressed by force.

   1. (mathematics) Adhering to or being what is considered natural or regular in a particular field or context:
      1. (number theory, of a real number) In whose representation in a given base b ≥ 2, for every positive integer n, the bⁿ possible strings of n digits follow a uniform distribution.

         A number whose individual digits in a given base representation follow a uniform distribution is said to be simply normal.

         A number that is normal for every base b ≥ 2 is said to be absolutely normal.

      2. (algebra, of a subgroup) With cosets which form a group.
      3. (algebra, of a field extension of a field K) Which is the splitting field of a family of polynomials in K.
      4. (probability theory, statistics, of a distribution) Which has a very specific bell curve shape; that is or has the qualities of a normal distribution.
      5. (probability theory, statistics, of a random variable, etc.) Which has a normal distribution; which is associated with a random variable that has a normal distribution.
      6. (complex analysis, of a family of continuous functions) Which is pre-compact.
      7. (set theory, of a function from the ordinals to the ordinals) Which is strictly monotonically increasing and continuous with respect to the order topology.
      8. (linear algebra, of a matrix) Which commutes with its conjugate transpose.
      9. (functional analysis, of a Hilbert space operator) Which commutes with its adjoint.
      10. (category theory) Being (as a morphism) or containing (as a category) only normal epimorphism(s) or monomorphism(s), that is, those which are the kernel or cokernel of some morphism, respectively.
      11. (topology, of a topology or topological space) In which disjoint closed sets can be separated by disjoint neighborhoods.
      12. (commutative algebra, of a domain) Integrally closed: equal its own integral closure in its field of fractions.
      13. (commutative algebra, of a ring) Such that all of its localizations at prime ideals are integrally closed domains.
      14. (algebraic geometry, of a variety or scheme) Such that the local ring at every point is an integrally closed domain.
2. Usual, healthy; not sick or ill or unlike oneself.

   John is feeling normal again.

   1. (fandom slang, sarcastic, with “about”) Fervently interested in a subject; obsessed.

      I wrote a 30-page analysis of the show’s villain because I’m very normal about them.

3. (education, of a school) Teaching teachers how to teach; teaching teachers the norms of education.

   My grandmother attended Mankato State Normal School; my grandfather attended Illinois State Normal University.

   • 1928, Western Montana College, Western Montana College of Education, Catalogue of the Montana State Normal College, page 10:

     PURPOSE AND SCOPE[:] The State Normal College prepares teachers for the public schools of Montana. It accomplishes its work through professional courses, directed observation of expert teaching, and  […]

4. (chemistry) Of, relating to, or being a solution containing one equivalent weight of solute per litre of solution.
5. (organic chemistry) Describing a straight chain isomer of an aliphatic hydrocarbon, or an aliphatic compound in which a substituent is in the 1- position of such a hydrocarbon.
6. (physics, of a mode in an oscillating system) In which all parts of an object vibrate at the same frequency (a normal mode).
7. (rail transport, of points) In the default position, set for the most frequently used route.
9. (geometry) Perpendicular to a tangent of a curve or tangent plane of a surface.

   The interior normal vector of a perfect sphere always point toward the center, and the exterior normal vector directly away, and both are always collinear with the ray whose tip ends at the point of intersection, which is the intersection of all three sets of points.

• When used to describe a group of people, normal can be understood as meaning that those not part of the group are strange or freakish. Its usage can therefore be understood as offensive to those it excludes.

• (usual): conventional, customary, ordinary, standard, usual, regular, routine, average, expected, natural, typical, everyday, common, commonplace, general
• (healthy): hale, healthy, well
• (perpendicular): at right angles to, perpendicular, orthogonal
• (statistics): Gaussian, standard normal

• (antonym(s) of “usual”): unconventional, nonstandard, unusual, special
• (antonym(s) of “healthy”): ill, poorly (British), sick, unwell
• (antonym(s) of “perpendicular”): tangential
• (antonym(s) of “rail transport”): reverse

• norm

normal (countable and uncountable, plural normals)

2. (geometry, countable) A line or vector that is perpendicular to another line, surface, or plane.
3. (medicine, countable) A person who is healthy, normal, as opposed to one who is morbid.
   • 2014, Ahmet Celik, Edibe Saricicek, Vahap Saricicek, Elif Sahin, Gokhan Ozdemir, Metin Kilinc, Ayten Oguz, Relation between the new anthropometric obesity parameters and inflammatory markers in healthy adult men‎, SCIRJ:

     Subjects were grouped as Group 1 and Group 2 according to VAI, and normals, overweights and obeses according to BMI.

4. (slang, countable) A person who is normal, who fits into mainstream society, as opposed to those who live alternative lifestyles.
5. (countable, uncountable) The usual state.

   His workload is now back to normal.

   Heavy workload is the new normal.

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 269:

     Still, there was a hitch somewhere in the gathering that threw it out of normal.

• (normal person): see Thesaurus:mainstreamer

• Morlan, Marlon, Larmon, Molnar

normal (epicene, plural normales)

1. normal

Borrowed from French normal.

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencia)

• Audio:

  (file)

normal m or f (masculine and feminine plural normals)

1. normal

   Antonym: anormal

• normalitat
• normalment

• “normal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “normal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “normal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “normal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Borrowed from Latin nōrmālis. By surface analysis, norme +‎ -al.

• IPA^(key): /nɔʁ.mal/

• Audio:

  (file)

normal (feminine normale, masculine plural normaux, feminine plural normales)

1. normal (according to norms, usual)
2. (relational) normal (relating to a school to teach teachers how to teach)
3. okay, alright

   Antonym: anormal

• norme

• “normal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

• IPA^(key): /nɔrˈmaːl/, , , ,
• Rhymes: -aːl

• Audio:

  (file)

normal (strong nominative masculine singular normaler, comparative normaler, superlative am normalsten)

1. ordinary, normal

   völlig normal. ― completely normal.

normal

1. (standard) ordinarily, normally, in a normal fashion

   Er hat sich ganz normal benommen.

   He behaved quite normally.

2. (colloquial) Alternative form of normalerweise: usually, normally, in general

   Normal geh ich früh ins Bett.

   I normally go to bed early.

normal

1. (colloquial) sure, of course, obviously; usually implies that something is trivial

   Du hast mit zwölf schon geraucht? ― Normal.

   You already smoked at twelve? ― Sure.

• “normal” in Duden online
• “normal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

• IPA^(key): /norˈmaːl/

normal

1. normal