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VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
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ordinary

noun · adjective US /ˈɔːrdəneri/

a judge of a probate court

How often you will meet it

Rank 1,422 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 12,891 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.006% of every word in the library.

What it means

noun

  1. a judge of a probate court
  2. the expected or commonplace condition or situation not out of the ordinary
  3. a clergyman appointed to prepare condemned prisoners for death
  4. an early bicycle with a very large front wheel and small back wheel also: ordinary bicycle
  5. (heraldry) any of several conventional figures used on shields

adjective

  1. not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree ordinary everyday objectsordinary decency
  2. lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered also: average average peoplethe ordinary (or common) man in the street

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

ordinary in real books

Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.

  • No necessity to deal through an ordinary stockbroker.

    Punch — Volume 101, November 7, 1891 · Various · Chapter 1

  • You see, they'd be a little smaller than his ordinary shoes.

    The Abandoned Room · Wadsworth Camp · Chapter 1

  • Her name, they say, was Adelais, but people by ordinary called her Dame Lisa.

    Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice · James Branch Cabell · Chapter 1

  • The room, which was an ordinary and neatly appointed office, appeared, at the first glance, to be empty.

    The Club of Queer Trades · G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton · Chapter 1

  • The ice was broken into thousands of confused shapes, but none, Hans thought like the ordinary forms of splintered ice.

    Famous Stories Every Child Should Know · Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie · Chapter 1

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