From Middle English standard, from Old French estandart (“gathering place, battle flag”), from Frankish *standahard (literally “stand firm, stand hard”), equivalent to stand + -ard. An alternative etymology derives the second element from Frankish *oʀd (“point, spot, place”) (compare Old French ordé (“pointed”), Old English ord (“point, source, vanguard”), German Standort (“location, place, site, position, base”, literally “standing-point”)). Merged with Middle English standar, stander, standere (“flag, banner”, literally “stander”), equivalent to stand + -er. More at stand, hard, ord. As a hill-naming term possibly a calque from Cumbric; equivalent to Welsh lluman (“standard”), arising with confusion with the hill-naming element llumon (“chimney”).
Comparative, Standard Falling within an accepted range of size, amount, power, quality, etc.
2
Comparative, Standard, Of a tree or shrub Growing alone as a free-standing plant; not trained on a post etc.
There are women who cannot grow alone as standard trees;—for whom the support and warmth of some wall, some paling, some post, is absolutely necessary […].1863, Anthony Trollope, Rachel Ray:
Comparative, Standard As normally supplied (not optional or modified by any extra requests).
This is the standard model, but we offer a variety of customization options.
Although marketed by Daimler as standard equipment, Triton requested that Daimler deliver the 2022 truck-tractor without collision avoidance technology. As a result, Triton received a cost discount on its truck order, which included this truck. Triton told the NTSB that the owner and several of the drivers had field-tested an earlier version of the equipment, and they did not like its performance.2024, NTSB, Highway Investigation Report, HIR-24-05:
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A study funded by the FMCSA found that although several heavy-vehicle manufacturers have voluntarily made AEB “standard” on many new truck models, they also offer “deletion credits” to customers who choose to remove AEB, which provides customers financial incentive to forego the technology and which ultimately reduces voluntary adoption rates2024, NTSB, Highway Investigation Report, HIR-24-05:
From Middle English standard, from Old French estandart (“gathering place, battle flag”), from Frankish *standahard (literally “stand firm, stand hard”), equivalent to stand + -ard. An alternative etymology derives the second element from Frankish *oʀd (“point, spot, place”) (compare Old French ordé (“pointed”), Old English ord (“point, source, vanguard”), German Standort (“location, place, site, position, base”, literally “standing-point”)). Merged with Middle English standar, stander, standere (“flag, banner”, literally “stander”), equivalent to stand + -er. More at stand, hard, ord. As a hill-naming term possibly a calque from Cumbric; equivalent to Welsh lluman (“standard”), arising with confusion with the hill-naming element llumon (“chimney”).
The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;[…]. Our table in the dining-room became again the abode of scintillating wit and caustic repartee, Farrar bracing up to his old standard, and the demand for seats in the vicinity rose to an animated competition.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
2
Something used as a measure for comparative evaluations; a model.
the court, which used to be the standard of propriety and correctness of speech1712, Jonathan Swift, A Proposal For Correcting, Improving, and Ascertaining the English Tongue:
A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman.1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC:
3
A musical work of established popularity.
I was disappointed when the concert ended with a "Tribute to Irving Berlin" that included "God Bless America" and two John Philip Sousa numbers, the "Washington Post" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." […] I think it's wrong, wrong, wrong for a gay band to play music that celebrates the martial life. There's plenty of other rousing music around, so how about dumping some of those armed forces standards.1983 December 3, Jolanta Benal, “Spandex, Sousa, Bad Politics”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 20, page 6:
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A rule or set of rules or requirements which are widely agreed upon or imposed by government.
The Biden administration finalized the first national standard to limit dangerous “forever chemicals” found in nearly half of the drinking water in the United States.2024 April 10, Jen Christiensen, “Biden administration sets first national standard to limit ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water”, in CNN:
In stark opposition to what CBS editorial leadership told staff on Monday, Redstone said that she did not believe Dokoupil had violated the network’s editorial standards when he grilled Coates over the contents of his new book.2024 October 9, Hadas Gold, Liam Reilly and Brian Stelter, “Shari Redstone says CBS leaders made ‘bad mistake’ with handling of Ta-Nehisi Coates interview fallout”, in CNN:
5
The proportion of weights of fine metal and alloy established for coinage.
By the present standard of the coinage, sixty-two shillings is coined out of one pound weight of silver.1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. Explain'd and exemplify'd in several dissertations:
A bottle of wine containing 0.750 liters of fluid.
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India Grade level in primary or secondary education.
I am in fifth standard.
I finished my twelfth standard with less than stellar marks.2020, Avni Doshi, Burnt Sugar, Hamish Hamilton, page 179:
› A vertical pole with something at its apex.
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An object supported in an upright position, such as a lamp standard.
It was called the wickedest street in London and the entrance was just here. I imagine the mouth of the road lay between this lamp standard and the second from the next down there.1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
10
The flag or ensign carried by a military unit.
His armies, in the following day, / On those fair plains their standards proud display.1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:
11
One of the upright members that supports the horizontal axis of a transit or theodolite.
12
Any upright support, such as one of the poles of a scaffold.
13
A sturdy, woody plant whose upright stem is used to graft a less hardy ornamental flowering plant on, rather then actually planting it.
14
A tree of natural size supported by its own stem, and not dwarfed by grafting on the stock of a smaller species nor trained upon a wall or trellis.
In the more temperate parts of France [gardens are] part laid out for Flowers, others for Fruits, ſome Standards, ſome againſt Walls or Paliſades, [...]1685, William Temple, Miscellanea. The Second Part. […], London: […] T. M. for Ri[chard] and Ra[lph] Simpson, […], published 1690, →OCLC, page 111:
It [Loranthus europaeus] grows chiefly on the branches of standards over coppice.1907, William Schlich, Schlich's Manual of Forestry, page 415:
Biology, Botany, Natural sciences The upper petal or banner of a papilionaceous corolla.
20
Business, Manufacturing, Shipbuilding An inverted knee timber placed upon the deck instead of beneath it, with its vertical branch turned upward from that which lies horizontally.
21
A large drinking cup.
Frolic, my lords; let all the standards walk, / Ply it till every man hath ta’en his load.c. 1590, Thomas Lodge, Robert Greene, “A Looking Glass for London”, in The Complete Plays of Robert Greene, London: Ernest Ben Limited, published 1909:
The scales generally showed on the face of the garment or defence, and we find body armour, gorgets, habergeons, standards or neck defences, and even the camailt of this class of armour.1903, The Archaeological Journal, page 104:
Goldsmiths also made gold and silver mail for the decorations of helmets and gorgets. The will of Duke Philip the Good shows that he owned a mail standard (collar) made of solid gold.1992, Matthias Pfaffenbichler, British Museum, Armourers:
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The throat and upper chest was protected by the gorget plate, mail standard or a metal wrapper. Whichever helm Richard chose to wear, it might have had a keyhole at the top to allowed insignia to be inserted.2008, Josephine Wilkinson, Richard III: The Young King to be, Amberley Publishing Limited, →ISBN:
[page 286:] A defense for the neck variously described as a combination of gorget and bevor worn with a salade, and as a standard of mail, or collar, worn under the plate gorget. [page 426:] Baron de Cosson says (Helmets and Mail 110): “Thus in the British Museum there is a standard of mail of which the rings of the top edge are exceedingly close and stiff, […]"2013, George Cameron Stone, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times, Courier Corporation, →ISBN:
Mail was also used to provide skirts substituting for tassets, for collars called "standards" substituting for gorgets, as well as for coats (long) and shirts (short). Consequently finding a few links gives little or no clue to their source. The few from the Fort, however, include copper-alloy (brass?) links, ...2016, Ivor Noel Hume, Audrey Noel Hume, The Archaeology of Martin's Hundred: Part 1, Interpretive Studies; Part 2, Artifact Catalog, University of Pennsylvania Press, →ISBN, page 151:
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Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of standard poodle.
Since standards are large dogs, they grow much more rapidly than miniatures and toys, which means that they require more supplements.1968, Jeff Griffen, The Poodle Book, page 36:
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A measure for timber.
To clear the fallen timber quickly, arrangements were made between British Railways and the Home Timber Merchant's Association of Scotland for the purchase of timber in the form of sleepers, crossing timbers, and wagon timbers. These arrangements have now terminated, and since the storm a total of 19,000 standards of timber have been purchased by British Railways at a cost of £1,250,000.1955 April, “Wind-Blown Timber for B.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 271:
From Middle English standard, from Old French estandart (“gathering place, battle flag”), from Frankish *standahard (literally “stand firm, stand hard”), equivalent to stand + -ard. An alternative etymology derives the second element from Frankish *oʀd (“point, spot, place”) (compare Old French ordé (“pointed”), Old English ord (“point, source, vanguard”), German Standort (“location, place, site, position, base”, literally “standing-point”)). Merged with Middle English standar, stander, standere (“flag, banner”, literally “stander”), equivalent to stand + -er. More at stand, hard, ord. As a hill-naming term possibly a calque from Cumbric; equivalent to Welsh lluman (“standard”), arising with confusion with the hill-naming element llumon (“chimney”).