What does "standard" mean?
Standard: That which is established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, extent, value, or quality; esp., the original specimen weight or measure sanctioned by government, as the standard pound, gallon, or yard.
Additional senses
- 2.That which is established as a rule or model by authority, custom, or general consent; criterion; test. The court, which used to be the standard of property and correctness of speech. Swift. A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman. Burke.
- 3.(Coinage) The proportion of weights of fine metal and alloy established by authority. By the present standard of the coinage, sixty-two shillings is coined out of one pound weight of silver. Arbuthnot.
- 4.(Hort.) 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 France part of their gardens is laid out for flowers, others for fruits; some standards, some against walls. Sir W. Temple.
- 5.(Bot.) The upper petal or banner of a papilionaceous corolla.
- 6.(Mech. & Carp.) An upright support, as one of the poles of a scaffold; any upright in framing.
- 7.(Shipbuilding) An inverted knee timber placed upon the deck instead of beneath it, with its vertical branch turned upward from that which lies horizontally.
- 8.The sheth of a plow.
- 9.A large drinking cup. Greene. Standard bearer, an officer of an army, company, or troop, who bears a standard; -- commonly called color sergeantor color bearer; hence, the leader of any organization; as, the standard bearer of a political party.
- 10.Being, affording, or according with, a standard for comparison and judgment; as, standard time; standard weights and measures; a standard authority as to nautical terms; standard gold or silver.
- 11.Hence: Having a recognized and permanent value; as, standard works in history; standard authors.
- 12.(Hort.) (a) Not supported by, or fastened to, a wall; as, standard fruit trees. (b) Not of the dwarf kind; as, a standard pear tree. Standard candle, Standard gauge. See under Candle, and Gauge. -- Standard solution. (Chem.) See Standardized solution, under Solution.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00