Commons
See also: commons
English
Etymology 1
Ellipsis of House of Commons.
Proper noun
the Commons
- (UK politics, Canadian politics) The House of Commons, part of the parliament under the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy.
- 1960 May, K. A. Murray, “Carlisle Pier, Dun Laoghaire”, in Railway Magazine, page 305:
- Faced with defeat in the Commons, the Government cancelled and re-advertised the contract, the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company's offer being now accepted for the sea part of the route.
Usage notes
- Although plural in form, the term takes singular verb forms: “The Commons has risen for the day.” Used by itself, the word is accompanied by the definite article: “The vote in the Commons was an abject humiliation for the Prime Minister.” But when used attributively, the definite article is omitted: “He has drawn the ire of his compatriots on both sides of the aisle during his tenure as Commons Speaker.”
Etymology 2
- English and Irish (Mayo Tipperary and Galway): variant of Cummings.
- English: variant of Common with post-medieval excrescent -s.[1]
Proper noun
Commons
- A surname.
References
- ^ Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Commons”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 358.