Norman

views updated May 23 2018

Nor·man 1 / ˈnôrmən/ a city in central Oklahoma, south of Oklahoma City, home to the University of Oklahoma; pop. 95,694.Nor·man2 • n. 1. a member of a people of mixed Frankish and Scandinavian origin who settled in Normandy from about ad 912 and became a dominant military power in western Europe and the Mediterranean in the 11th century. ∎  in particular, any of the Normans who conquered England in 1066 or their descendants. ∎  a native or inhabitant of modern Normandy. ∎  any of the English kings from William I to Stephen. 2. the form of French spoken by the Normans.• adj. of, relating to, or denoting the Normans. ∎  denoting, relating to, or built in the style of Romanesque architecture used in Britain under the Normans. ∎  of or relating to modern Normandy.DERIVATIVES: Nor·man·esque / ˌnôrməˈnesk/ adj.Nor·man·ism / -ˌnizəm/ n.Nor·man·ize / -ˌnīz/ v.

Norman

views updated Jun 27 2018

Norman a member of a people of mixed Frankish and Scandinavian origin who settled in Normandy from about ad 912 and became a dominant military power in western Europe and the Mediterranean in the 11th century, in particular, any of the Normans who conquered England in 1066 or their descendants.
Norman Conquest the conquest of England by William of Normandy (William the Conqueror) after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Most of the Saxon nobles had been dispossessed or killed and the population was heavily taxed (the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086). Norman institutions and customs (such as feudalism) were introduced, and Anglo-Norman French and Latin adopted as the languages of literature, law, and government.
Norman French the northern form of Old French spoken by the Normans; the variety of this used in English law courts from the 11th to 13th centuries; Anglo-Norman French.

Norman

views updated Jun 27 2018

Norman pl. -mans native of Normandy XIII; adj. XVI. orig. in pl. — (O)F. Normans, -anz, pl. of Normant (mod. -mand) — ON. Norðmaðr, pl. -menn, which was adopted as OE. Norðmann, pl. -menn; see NORTH, MAN.