mid-14c., "the people collectively," especially "the common people as distinguished from the rulers and nobility and the clergy; the freemen of England as represented in Parliament" (late 14c.), from common (n.). Meaning "the lower house of Parliament, consisting of commoners chosen by the people as their representatives" is from early 15c. House of Commons is from 1620s. Meaning "provisions for a community or company" is from mid-14c.
1570s, "the common people," from French vulgarité and directly from Late Latin vulgaritas "the multitude," from vulgaris (see vulgar). Meaning "coarseness, crudeness" is recorded from 1774.
"expression of approbation or esteem because of some virtue, performance, or quality," early 14c., from praise (v.). Not common until 16c.; the earlier noun, and the common one through most of the Middle English period, was praising (c. 1200).
Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer;
[Pope, "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot"]
computer programming language for use in business operations, 1960, U.S. Defense Department acronym, from "Common Business-Oriented Language."
a common name for spinach, or plants like it, early 15c., from Latin blitum, from Greek bliton, which is of unknown origin.
"having a common measure" (as a yard and a foot, both of which may be measured by inches), 1550s, from Late Latin commensurabilis "having a common measure," from com "together, with" (see com-) + Latin mensurabilis "that can be measured," from mensurare "to measure," from Latin mensura "a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by," from mensus, past participle of metiri "to measure," from PIE root *me- (2) "to measure."
male proper name, from Old French goulafre "glutton," a very common name, found as a surname in Domesday Book (William Gulafra).
