- any of the Scandinavians who occupied Normandy in the 10th cent.
- a descendant of the Normans and French who conquered England in 1066
- Norman French
- a person born or living in Normandy
Origin of NormanOld French Normant or Medieval Latin Normannus, both ; from Frankish an unverified form nortman ; from an unverified form nort, akin to Old English north, north + an unverified form man, akin to man
- of Normandy or its people, language, or culture
- designating or of the Romanesque style of architecture as it flourished in Normandy and, after the Norman Conquest, as developed in England: characterized by massive construction, round arches over recessed doors and windows, and carving
Origin of Norman; from Old English Northman, Old High German Nordemann, literally , Northman
Origin of Normanultimately after A. Norman, railroad surveyor
- a. A member of a Scandinavian people who settled in northern France in the tenth century.b. A descendant of this people, especially one ruling or inhabiting England from the time of the Norman Conquest.
- A native or inhabitant of Normandy.
- Of or relating to Normandy, the Normans, their culture, or their language.
- Of or being a style of Romanesque architecture that was introduced from Normandy into England before 1066 and that flourished until about 1200.
Origin of NormanMiddle English, from Old French Normant (from Old Norse Nordhmadhr : nordhr, north + madhr, man) and from Old English Norman (variant of Northman : north, north; see ner-1 in Indo-European roots + man, man; see man-1 in Indo-European roots).
Church of St. Mary
Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
- The langue d'oÃ¯l variant, closely related to the French of "Ile de France" (i.e. Paris), spoken in Normandy and the Channel Islands, which influenced the development of Quebec French (until the mid 20th century), and was for several centuries the ruling language of England (see Anglo-Norman).
- A surname, for someone from Normandy, or for a Viking (Northman).
- A male given name used in the Middle Ages and revived in the 19th century.
- Of or pertaining to Normandy or its inhabitants (present or past).
- Relating to the Norman language.
- Norman vocabulary
- (rare) Referring to the dialect of French spoken in Normandy.
- Relating to the Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans after the Norman Conquest, characterized by large arches and heavy columns.
It is certain that the word is derived from the base of the Germanic words for north and the Germanic base of the words for man. However, given the frequent movement of Germanic groups especially into and out of Britain in the post-classical world, it is unclear in what tongue it came to be used first. In addition, the generally accepted meaning, a person from Normandy or one of the many French speaking invaders to Britain, was used chiefly by Anglo-Norman and Old French, though it originally referred to any Scandinavian of the time. See also Northman.