usual

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈjuː.ʒu.əl/, /ˈjuː.ʒəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English usualle,^[2] from Old French usuel “current, valid”, 13th century,^[3][2] and directly borrowed from Late Latin ūsuālis (“ordinary, customary; for use”),^[3][2][4] from Latin ūsus (“use, custom”),^[3][2] from the past participle of ūtī “to use”,^[5] with the suffix -al.^[2][6] It is related to use and utility.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Before 1387, in Trevisa's translation of Higden's Polychronicon, according to Barnhart;^[2] “generally recognized” in the late 14th century in Etymonline;^[3] the OED's first sense, “in ordinary use, having general currency”, is from 1396.^[8]

Semantic evolution

“Commonly encountered” is from the mid-15th century,^[3] and “customarily employed, ordinary” from about 1444.^[8] “Such as commonly happens” is from 1577.^[8] Usually is from 1477.^[2] As usual is recorded by 1716,^[3] and the usual, a person's customary drink or order, is from 1589 in Merriam-Webster's dating of the noun.^[9] The usual suspects comes from a line spoken by Claude Rains in Casablanca (1942): “Round up the usual suspects.”^[3][7]

Timeline

• 1387 – usual.^[2]
• 1396 – in ordinary use.^[8]
• 1477 – usually.^[2]
• 1716 – as usual.^[3]
• 1942 – the usual suspects.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Commonly met with, experienced or observed; ordinary.
2. Regularly or customarily used: my usual route.
3. In keeping with normal practice or procedure.

Noun

1. (informal) Something usual, especially a person's customary drink: the usual, please.

Word family

• usually
• usualness
• unusual

Related words

• use
• utility
• usage

Usage notes

The American Heritage distinguishes usual, what accords with ordinary practice, from habitual, customary and accustomed.^[10]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
10. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin