uncommon

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʌnˈkɒmən/^[1]

Etymology

It is from English un- + common, un- meaning not.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not possessed in common, a rare sense: 1548 in the OED, the 1540s in Etymonline;^[3][2] Merriam-Webster dates its first sense to about 1576.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Not commonly met with, unusual or rare, is from the 1610s (1611 in the OED),^[2][3] and unusual in amount or degree, remarkably great, by 1700.^[2][3] The adverb uncommonly is by 1747, often in not uncommonly.^[2] Uncommon as an adverb itself, uncommon kind, is dialectal or colloquial by 1784,^[2][3] and the English Dialect Dictionary records it in general dialect use in Scotland, Ireland and England.^[5]

Timeline

• 1548 – not held in common.^[3]
• 1611 – unusual, rare.^[3]
• 1700 – remarkably great.^[2][3]
• 1784 – uncommon (adverb, dialect).^[2][3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Not often found or seen; unusual, rare.
2. Remarkable; more than is usual: an uncommon liking for honey.

Adverb

1. (archaic or dialect) Uncommonly; very.

Word family

• uncommonly
• uncommonness

Related words

• common

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)