standard
standard (stănʹdərd) noun
Abbr. std.
1. A flag, banner, or ensign, especially: a. The ensign of a chief of state, nation, or city. b. A long, tapering flag bearing heraldic devices distinctive of a person or corporation. c. An emblem or flag of an army, raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point in battle. d. The colors of a mounted or motorized military unit.
2. a. An acknowledged measure of comparison for quantitative or qualitative value; a criterion. b. An object that under specified conditions defines, represents, or records the magnitude of a unit.
3. The set proportion by weight of gold or silver to alloy metal prescribed for use in coinage.
4. The commodity or commodities used to back a monetary system.
5. a. A degree or level of requirement, excellence, or attainment. b. Often standards A requirement of moral conduct.
6. Chiefly British. A grade level in elementary schools.
7. A pedestal, stand, or base.
8. Botany. a. The large upper petal of the flower of a pea or related plant. b. One of the narrow, upright petals of an iris. Also called banner, vexillum.
9. A shrub or small tree that through grafting or training has a single stem of limited height with a crown of leaves and flowers at its apex.
10. Music. A composition that is continually used in repertoires.
adjective
1. Serving as or conforming to a standard of measurement or value.
2. Widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence: a standard reference work.
3. Acceptable but of less than top quality: a standard grade of beef.
4. Normal, familiar, or usual: the standard excuse.
5. Commonly used or supplied: standard car equipment.
6. Linguistics. Conforming to established educated usage in speech or writing.
[Middle English, from Old French estandard, rallying place, probably from Frankish *standhard : *standan, to stand + *hard, fast, hard.]
stanʹdardly adverb
Synonyms: standard, benchmark, criterion, gauge, measure, touchstone, yardstick. The central meaning shared by these nouns is "a point of reference against which individuals are compared and evaluated": a book that is a standard of literary excellence; a painting that is a benchmark of quality; educational criteria; behavior that is a gauge of self-control; government funding, a measure of the importance of the arts; success, a touchstone of opportunity, ambition, and ability; farm failures, a yardstick of federal banking policy. See also synonyms at ideal.