Conventionals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A standard or established practice commonly accepted in a particular context
2. Denoting traditional methods or techniques widely recognized in various disciplines
3. Referring to the typical norms or rules that guide behaviors and procedures in society

Etymology: "Conventionals" is simply the plural of "conventional," which is what you get when a noun is made from a traditional or accepted practice in a field. The adjective is built from "convention" plus the suffix "-al," meaning "relating to." Its root is Latin "convenire," literally "to come together," which gave the noun "conventio," an agreement or assembly, and the idea of people coming together to settle on something runs straight through to the modern sense of an accepted way of doing things. The English adjective "conventional" is formed in English from "convention" and "-al," and the suffix itself passed into English through Old French from Latin "-alis." The noun "convention" came into English by way of Middle French, so the word reached English from Latin along a path through French rather than directly.