standard
 stan·dard (stănʹdərd)n.
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. Something, such as a practice or a product, that is widely recognized or employed, especially because of its excellence.
6.
a. A degree or level of requirement, excellence, or attainment.
b. A requirement of moral conduct. Often used in the plural.
7. Chiefly British. A grade level in elementary schools.
8. A pedestal, stand, or base.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Music. A composition that is continually used in repertoires.adj.
1. Serving as or conforming to a standard of measurement or value.
2. Widely recognized or employed 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; See stā- in Indo-European Roots + *hard, fast, hard; See kar- in Indo-European Roots.] stanʹdard·ly adv.
Synonyms: standard, benchmark, criterion, gauge, measure, touchstone, yardstick
These nouns denote 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; criteria for hiring an excellent teacher; behavior that is a gauge of self-control; donations from the public, a measure of the importance of the arts; the program's success, a touchstone of cooperation in the community; farm failures, a yardstick of federal banking policy. See also synonyms at ideal
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