Nonparanormal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing something that has no connection to supernatural forces and can be explained by ordinary natural causes
2. Relating to events, beings or experiences that fall outside the realm of ghosts, spirits and other supernatural claims
3. Characterizing a phenomenon as ordinary and natural rather than mystical, occult or beyond the reach of science

Etymology: "Nonparanormal" is built from the prefix "non-", meaning "not", attached to "paranormal." The base word itself is formed from "para-", meaning "beside" or "beyond" in Greek, and "normal," from Latin "normalis," meaning "according to a carpenter's square" or "conforming to a standard." So "paranormal" describes what lies beyond the normal, and "nonparanormal" negates that: it describes something that is not beyond the normal, that is, something ordinary and explicable by established science. The combination is a modern coinage rather than an old word, and its usage is mainly found in discussions of skepticism and scientific method, where researchers sometimes want to describe a phenomenon that has been investigated and found to have a natural explanation. The word is useful precisely because it names the opposite of a claim that has been tested and rejected, rather than leaving the matter at "normal" or "unexplained."