familiar
//fəˈmɪl.i.ə//
Forms
- Comparative
- more familiar
- Superlative
- most familiar
- Plural
- familiars
Definitions
1.Known to one, or generally known; commonplace.
- There’s a familiar face; that tune sounds familiar.
- The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.
2.Acquainted.
- I'm quite familiar with this system; she's not familiar with manual gears.
3.Intimate or friendly.
- Don’t be familiar with me, boy!
4.Of or pertaining to a family; familial.
1.An attendant spirit, often in animal or demon form.
- The witch’s familiar was a black cat.
- The familiars of the magicians, on the other hand, were not in all cases evil, and often may have approximated the "guides" with whom present-day spiritualists are well acquainted.
2.A member of a pope's or bishop's household.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #1692
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Uncommon
Related words
Etymology
From Middle English familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”).
By surface analysis, family + -ar.
Piecewise doublet of familial.
Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ.