Word of the Day: Average
average
av-er-age / ăv-ər-ĭj, ăv-rĭj
adjective
1. ordinary, usual, typical
When you’re average, you’re just as close to the bottom as you are the top. Alfred North Whitehead, 1861 – 1947
2. pertaining to or estimated by the calculation of the arithmetic mean
Calculating the average age of a group tells you what age most of the people fall closest to. Carter McBride, “How to Calculate Average Age”, ‘Sciencing’, www.sciencing.com/calculate-average-age-6923411.html, March 13, 2018
noun
1. the arithmetic mean of a set of numbers; the value calculated by adding a set of numbers and dividing by the quantity of numbers in the set
I have no expectation of making a hit every time I come to bat; what I seek is the highest possible batting average, not only for myself but for the team. Franklin Roosevelt 1882-1945
2. the expected or the usual; the norm
The average estimate themselves by what they do, the above average by what they are. Friedrich Schiller, 1759 – 1805
verb
1. to calculate the mean by adding the amounts in a set of variables and dividing that result by the number of variables
If program is offered for different time periods each day, please average (e.g., Tuesday, 1.5 + Wednesday, 1.5 +Thursday, 1.5 + Friday, 4 = 8.5 divided by 4 days each week = 2.125). “Budget Planning Template for 21st CCLC Program”, New Mexico Public Education Department, https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us, accessed July 14, 2021
2. to have the mean value as an attribute
A person working 45 hours per week averages 44% more income than someone working 40 hours per week. Warren Farrell, 1943 –
3. to perform or obtain a typical quantity
If I want to average 32 points a game, I can do that easily. Patrick Ewing, 1962 –
4. to divide or distribute ratably
And then to end up with a total of 347 wins, averaging 10 regular season wins for 33 years and the best winning percentage, and I’m very proud of this, of any professional team from 1970 to 1996. Don Shula, 1930 – 2020
etymology
Perhaps ultimately from the Arabic word for damaged goods, awariya, through the Italian word avaria (damage at sea, average) by way of its French derivative, avarie, of the same meaning with the addition of the Old French suffix -age signifying a relationship to or function of the main word, as in cartage, postage, shortage, damage.
Thank you to Allen Ward for providing this etymology.
