Wiktionary
n. 1 (&lit common name English) 2 (context biology English) The name by which a species is known to the general public, rather than its taxonomic or scientific name.
Wikipedia
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, trivial name, trivial epithet, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; this kind of name is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism, which is Latinized. A common name is sometimes frequently used, but that is by no means always the case.
Sometimes common names are created by authorities on one particular subject, in an attempt to make it possible for members of the general public (including such interested parties as fishermen, farmers, etc.) to be able to refer to one particular species of organism without needing to be able to memorise or pronounce the Latinized scientific name. Creating an "official" list of common names can also be an attempt to standardize the use of common names, which can sometimes vary a great deal between one part of a country and another, as well as between one country and another country, even where the same language is spoken in both places.
A common name is a name of a taxon or organism in biological nomenclature based on the normal language of everyday life.
Common name may also refer to:
- Common name (chemistry) or trivial name, a non-systematic name for a chemical
- Common noun, in linguistics a noun which refers to a class of entities rather than a unique entity
- CN or common name, in cryptography part of an X.509 attribute certificate
Usage examples of "common name".
But it is a common name in Nantucket, they say, and I suppose this Peter here is an emigrant from there.
A confusion might be natural enough among islanders, who call all the sons of their grandfather by the common name of father.
I remembered that Sam had told us Sadler was a common name around here.
Flinders was certainly not a common name for a horse, and yet the youngster at Richfield had named his prancing, curly-haired little horse Flinders!
He calls this high person 'thort' -- its not a common name, but a title.
Duinain called him by the common name of Guldur, although, as a historian, he knew the Tyrant God's name was actually Leto II.