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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary fa·mil·iar
DATE 13th century 1. a member of the household of a high official 2. one that is familiar; especially : an intimate associate : companion 3. a spirit often embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person 4. a. one who is well acquainted with something b. one who frequents a place
adjective ETYMOLOGY Middle English familier, from Anglo-French, from Latin familiaris, from familia DATE 14th century 1. closely acquainted : intimate a familiar family friend 2. obsolete : affable , sociable 3. a. of or relating to a family remembering past familiar celebrations b. frequented by families a familiar resort 4. a. being free and easy the familiar association of old friends b. marked by informality a familiar essay c. overly free and unrestrained : presumptuous grossly familiar behavior d. moderately tame familiar animals 5. a. frequently seen or experienced : easily recognized a familiar theme b. of everyday occurrence a familiar routine c. possibly known but imperfectly remembered her face looked familiar 6. having personal or intimate knowledge — used with with familiar with the facts of the case Synonyms: see common • fa·mil·iar·ly adverb • fa·mil·iar·ness noun English Etymology familiar familiar (adj.) mid-14c., "intimate, very friendly," from O.Fr . familier, from L.familiaris "domestic." The sense gradually broadened. Of things, from late 15c. The noun meaning "demon, evil spirit that answers one's call" is from 1580s.http://O.Fr Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ familiar fa·mil·iar / fE5miliE(r) / adjective1. ~ (to sb) well known to you; often seen or heard and therefore easy to recognize 熟悉的；常见到的；常听说的: to look / sound / taste familiar 看/听 / 尝起来熟悉 He's a familiar figure in the neighbourhood. 他在这个地区是大家熟悉的人物。 The smell is very familiar to everyone who lives near a bakery. 住在麪包店附近的人都很熟悉这种气味。 Something about her voice was vaguely familiar. 她的声音有点耳熟。 Violent attacks are becoming all too familiar (= sadly familiar). 暴力攻击变成了司空见惯的现象。 OPP unfamiliar 2. ~ with sth knowing sth very well 通晓；熟悉: an area with which I had been familiar since childhood 我自幼就了若指掌的一个地区 Are you familiar with the computer software they use? 你熟悉他们使用的计算机软件吗？ OPP unfamiliar 3. ~ (with sb) (of a person's behaviour 人的行为) very informal, sometimes in a way that is unpleasant 随便的: You seem to be on very familiar terms with your tutor. 你似乎和你的导师之间很随便。 After a few drinks her boss started getting too familiar for her liking. 老板几杯酒下肚以后就开始令她觉得过分亲昵。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English familiar adj. 1 well-known VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound The place felt faintly familiar to me. | become | make sth ADV. distinctly, very The room looked distinctly familiar. | entirely | increasingly | faintly, fairly, quite, rather, reasonably, slightly, vaguely | enough The report's conclusions were already familiar enough to the government. | already | immediately, instantly His face was instantly familiar, even after all those years. | somehow a name that was somehow familiar | curiously, disconcertingly, oddly, strangely Her face looked strangely familiar. | blessedly, comfortingly The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar. | all too, depressingly, horribly, painfully, sickeningly a situation which has become all too familiar to most teachers PREP. to The name sounded vaguely familiar to her. 2 familiar with sth: having a good knowledge of sth VERBS be, seem | become, get, grow I was now getting much more familiar with the local area. ADV. extremely, intimately, very | completely, fully, perfectly, thoroughly You will need to be thoroughly familiar with our procedures. | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably | already Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition n. Function: noun Synonyms: FRIEND , acquaintance, amigo, cater-cousin, confidant, intimate, maten. Function: adjective 1 closely associated FF1C;time and interests have made them familiarFF1E; Synonyms: chummy, close, confidential, intimate, thick Related Words: amicable, friendly, neighborly; affable, boon, cordial, genial, gracious, sociable; comfortable, cozy, easy, snug; forward, fresh, impertinent, intrusive, obtrusive, officious Contrasted Words: detached, disinterested, incurious, indifferent, remote, unconcerned; ceremonial, ceremonious, conventional, formal Antonyms: aloof 2 Synonyms: COMMON 4, customary, everyday, frequent Related Words: accustomed, habitual, wonted; commonplace, prosaic Contrasted Words: new, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel; rare, strange, uncommon; chimerical, fantastic Antonyms: unfamiliar 3 well-informed especially through study or experience FF1C;familiar with what is being taught in the schoolsFF1E; Synonyms: abreast, acquainted, au courant, au fait, conversant, informed, up, versant, versed Related Words: aware, cognizant, conscious, mindful Contrasted Words: unacquainted, unconversant, uninformed, unversed; insensible, unaware, unconscious, unmindful; ignorant, unenlightened, unknowing Antonyms: unfamiliar Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: familiar spirit , or familiar verse fa·mil·iar I. \fəˈmilyə(r), chiefly in substand speech fərˈmilyər\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English familier member of one's household, intimate associate, from Old French, member of one's household, from familier, adjective 1. : an intimate associate : companion < with familiars he has the unvarnished candor of old people and children — Janet Flanner > 2. : a member of the household of a high official : one who belongs to an official family < a mile away 269 … familiars or courtiers were buried — V.G.Childe > specifically : a layman employed as a resident servant in a Roman Catholic institution or in the household of a high dignitary of the Roman Catholic church 3. : a confidential officer of the Inquistion whose task was to apprehend and imprison the accused 4. : a supernatural spirit often embodied in an animal and at the service of a person < the loathsome toad, the witches' familiar — Harvey Graham > 5. a. : one who is well acquainted with something < familiars of the measure — C.G.Poore > b. : one who frequents a place < familiars of the embassy — Rebecca West > II. adjective Etymology: Middle English familier, familiar, from Old French familier, from Latin familiaris, from familia + -aris -ar — more at family 1. : closely associated : intimate: as a. : on a family footing < his familiar friend — Marjory S. Douglas > b. : having a supernatural relationship with people < a prayer to the familiar sharks … which have exchanged souls with living men — C.E.Fox > c. : sexually intimate < the girl with whom he has been familiar having to leave school — Evelyn M. Duvall > 2. obsolete : affable and courteous : sociable < bland and familiar to the throne he came — Alexander Pope > 3. a. : of or relating to a family < familiar domestic happenings — G.F.Whicher > < it is convenient to refer to many of the natural acids by their familiar names — T.P.Hilditch > b. : designed for family use : frequented by families < a familiar resort … favored by couples with children — Betty de Sherbinin > 4. : of an informal nature : unceremonious: as a. : free and easy < a child's familiar access to his eminent … circle — W.V.O'Connor > b. : marked by informality and nonadherence to rigid structure < he learned to write a passable familiar essay — J.W.Krutch > < functional varieties may roughly be grouped together in the two classes familiar and formal writing and speaking — J.S.Kenyon > c. : overly free and unrestrained : presumptuous < he was rather noisily familiar with them — Robertson Davies > 5. of a wild animal — used to human company : not alarmed by proximity to people : moderately tame < he is tame and familiar and sings on the tree over your head or on the rock a few paces in advance — John Burroughs > 6. a. : frequently seen or experienced : easily recognized < he was a familiar figure at the opera — Edna Yost > < some familiar scent can carry one back to early childhood — Stuart Chase > b. : of everyday occurrence : common , ordinary < emotions which he has never experienced will serve his turn as well as those familiar to him — T.S.Eliot > c. : currently accepted or previously tested : well-known < America's most familiar poet — Lewis Leary b. 1906 > < the new can be learned successfully only in terms of the familiar — W.M.Mason > 7. : well acquainted through personal knowledge or study : conversant < familiar with what is being taught to our children in schools — Vera M. Dean > Synonyms: intimate , confidential , close , thick , chummy : familiar may suggest natural ease, informality, lack of reserve, constraint, or stiffness, ensuing from long acquaintanceship, as among members of a family < she was constantly referring to dear friends by their Christian names, in a casual and familiar way — Havelock Ellis > < the familiar, if not rude tone, in which people addressed her — Nathaniel Hawthorne > intimate always indicates closeness of relationship and it usually suggests a closeness, warmth, personal nearness, or emotionalism which transcends and intensifies the more factual suggestion of familiar < intimate as man is with his habitat — L.A.White > < the intimate political relation subsisting between the President of the United States and the heads of departments — John Marshall > < intimate letters … love letters which were never written to be published — Havelock Ellis > < man never derives any intimate help, any heart sustenance, from his brother man, but from woman — Nathaniel Hawthorne > confidential stresses a reposing of confidence, a willingness to confide innermost thoughts and feelings < the growing harmony and confidential friendship which daily manifest themselves between their majesties — William Pitt †1778 > < a tone as sad and confidential as if he were … preluding a declaration of love — W.M.Thackeray > close in this sense suggests strong liking and accustomed agreement and compatibility leading to steady association < I would be with Adam a lot … she'd tag along, for she and Adam were very close — R.P.Warren > < being close to Peggy, [he] was aware that she … acted by her own secret intuitions — Morley Callaghan > thick indicates an accustomed close association or cooperation, often in devious ways or for dishonest purposes < he … does a lot of bail bond business … and is pretty thick with … the chief of police — Dashiell Hammett > < he'd told me that you and Pamela Dean were as thick as thieves — Dorothy Sayers > chummy takes its color from the word chum and describes easy, steady, confidential association with compatibility of interests < an unprecedented thing … for a captain to be chummy with the cook — Jack London > Synonym: see in addition common . |
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