Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Relating to the Normans or their culture: Describes anything connected to the Normans, a people of mixed Scandinavian and Frankish origin who settled in Normandy and conquered England in 1066.
   • Relating to the region of Normandy in France: Describes anything originating from or characteristic of Normandy.

2. Noun:

   • An inhabitant of Normandy: A person who lives in or originates from the French region of Normandy.
   • A person of Norman descent: A descendant of the medieval Normans.
   • (As a proper noun) A surname or given name: Used as a personal name for individuals.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:

  • The Norman architecture of the cathedral is characterized by rounded arches.
  • We studied the Norman Conquest in history class.

• Noun:

  • William the Conqueror was a Norman.
  • Many Normans settled in England after 1066.
  • The famous golfer Greg Norman is from Australia.

Advanced Usage

• "The Norman Yoke": A historical concept or metaphor, particularly in English history and political discourse, representing the oppressive rule imposed on the Anglo-Saxons by the Norman conquerors.
  • Some 17th-century radicals saw English law as part of the Norman Yoke.

Variants and Related Words

• Normanesque (adj): Resembling or in the style of Norman architecture.
  • The church tower is built in a Normanesque style.
• Anglo-Norman (adj/n): Pertaining to the period or culture of the Normans in England, or the French dialect they used.
  • Many legal terms entered English from Anglo-Norman French.

Synonyms

• Adjective (for relating to Normandy): Norman, of Normandy.
• Noun (for inhabitant): Norman, native of Normandy.

Related Phrases

• Norman Conquest: The invasion and conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, in 1066.
  • The Norman Conquest had a profound impact on the English language.
• Norman French: The variety of Old French spoken by the Normans.
  • The ruling class spoke Norman French for centuries after the conquest.

Adjective

1. of or relating to or characteristic of the Normans
   • the Norman Invasion in 1066
2. of or relating to or characteristic of Normandy
   • Norman beaches

Noun

1. an inhabitant of Normandy
2. Australian golfer (born in 1955)
3. United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)