Average
/ˈævrɪdʒ/
Definitions
3 meaningsConstituting the usual or ordinary standard; typical.
/ˈævrɪdʒ/
Representing the usual or ordinary standard
The average person eats three meals a day.
💡 Simply: Normal or typical
More Examples
He's of average height.
How It's Used
"The average temperature in July is 25 degrees Celsius."
"The average score on the test was 75%."
A single number that represents the typical value in a set of numbers.
/ˈævrɪdʒ/
A number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data.
The average age of the students is 20.
💡 Simply: The typical number
More Examples
What's the average rainfall for this month?
How It's Used
"Calculate the average of these numbers."
"The average income is rising."
To compute the average of.
/ˈævrɪdʒ/
To calculate the average of a set of numbers.
Average the test scores to find the class average.
💡 Simply: To find the typical number
More Examples
The data was averaged to create a summary.
How It's Used
"Average the scores to find the class average."
From Old French *averagier, from averer "to verify, ascertain". It originally referred to a process of calculating a mean value, especially for calculating losses at sea.
Early uses focused on maritime calculations of shared losses amongst merchants.
Memory tip
Think of 'average' as the middle ground, like averaging scores.
Word Origin
"to verify, ascertain"