Etymologically
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uncommon

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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)