commons

See also Commons

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

commons

1. Plural form of common
2. A dining hall, usually at a college or university.
3. A central section of (usually an older) town, designated as a shared area, a common.

   The Renaissance festival started with the "peasants" meeting in the commons.

   The commons is the green space surrounded by the village hall, the school, and the church.

   The commons of New England towns are important contributors to their charm.

4. (figuratively) The mutual good of all; the abstract concept of resources shared by more than one, for example air, water, information.

   "The tragedy of the commons" is that none wish to make sacrifices of their or their family's interests for the common good.

Derived terms

Terms derived from commons

digital commons

tragedy of the commons

Related terms

Terms etymologically related to commons

common

commoner

Translations

a central section of an older town

• Dutch: volksplaats (nl)

• German: (archaic) Allmende (de) f

the mutual good of all

• Dutch: gemene (nl) n, algemeen goed (nl) n
• German: (archaic) Allmende (de) f

• Serbo-Croatian: javno dobro (sh), opće dobro (sh)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: communs

• Spanish: Procomún

References

• commons in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913