- normal
- 1650, "standing at a right angle," from L.L. normalis "in conformity with rule, normal," from L. normalis "made according to a carpenter's square," from norma "rule, pattern," lit. "carpenter's square" (see norm). Meaning "conformingt to common standards, usual" is from 1828. Normalcy is first attested 1857, originally as a mathematical term; normality is first attested 1849. Normal school (1834) is from Fr. école normale (1794), a republican foundation.