Norm

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /nɔːm/

Definitions

1. A standard or pattern of behavior that is typical or expected within a particular group or society
2. A guideline or expectation that dictates appropriate behavior or practices within a specific community or culture
3. A benchmark that defines usual conduct or accepted practices likely to be followed by individuals in a given social setting

Etymology: The English "norm" sounds like a plain, rule-bound word, and its oldest sense really was a rule-bound tool: a carpenter's square. Latin "norma" meant exactly that, a right-angled instrument used to check that a piece of work was true, and from there it came to mean a rule or pattern more generally. English borrowed the Latin word directly, so "norm" and "norma" are doublets, two forms of one word that entered the language by different routes. The sense we use today, a standard of usual behaviour, developed from the idea of a measuring rule. A square tells you whether a corner is right, so a norm tells you what counts as the right or expected way of doing something. The metaphor of measurement stayed attached to the word, which is why people speak of norms as things one "conforms" to, much as a board is checked against a square.

Synonyms: standard, rule, criterion, model, guideline

Antonyms: exception, anomaly, deviation, irregularity, abnormality