average

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Mathematics A number that typifies a set of numbers of which it is a function.
2. n. Mathematics See arithmetic mean.
3. n. An intermediate level or degree: near the average in size.
4. n. The usual or ordinary kind or quality: Although the wines vary, the average is quite good.
5. n. Sports The ratio of a team's or player's successful performances such as wins, hits, or goals, divided by total opportunities for successful performance, such as games, times at bat, or shots: finished the season with a .500 average; a batting average of .274.
6. n. Law The loss of a ship or cargo, caused by damage at sea.
7. n. Law The incurrence of damage or loss of a ship or cargo at sea.
8. n. Law The equitable distribution of such a loss among concerned parties.
9. n. Law A charge incurred through such a loss.
10. n. Nautical Small expenses or charges that are usually paid by the master of a ship.
11. adj. Mathematics Of, relating to, or constituting an average.
12. adj. Being intermediate between extremes, as on a scale: a player of average ability.
13. adj. Usual or ordinary in kind or character: a poll of average people; average eyesight.
14. adj. Assessed in accordance with the law of averages.
15. v. Mathematics To calculate the average of: average a set of numbers.
16. v. To do or have an average of: averaged three hours of work a day.
17. v. To distribute proportionately: average one's income over four years so as to minimize the tax rate.
18. v. To be or amount to an average: Some sparrows are six inches long, but they average smaller. Our expenses averaged out to 45 dollars per day.
19. average down To purchase shares of the same security at successively lower prices in order to reduce the average price of one's position.
20. average up To purchase shares of the same security at successively higher prices in order to achieve a larger position at an average price that is lower than the current market value.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In old law, a kind of service owed by tenants to their superior. The nature of the service is not clear. It is usually explained as service done with beasts of burden, but this appears to rest on a doubtful etymology (see above).
2. n. A duty or tax upon goods.
3. n. A small charge payable by the shippers of goods to the master of the ship, over and above the freight, for his care of the goods. Hence the clause, in bills of lading, “paying so much freight, with primage and average accustomed.”
4. n. A small charge paid by the master on account of the ship and cargo, such as pilotage, towage, etc.: called more specifically petty average.
5. n. A loss, or the sum paid on account of a loss (such as that of an anchor), when the general safety is not in question, and which falls on the owner of the particular property lost: called more specifically particular average.
6. n. A contribution made by the owners of a ship's freight and cargo, in proportion to their several interests, to make good a loss that has been sustained or an expense incurred for the general safety of the ship and cargo. Thus, when for the safety of a ship in distress any destruction of property is incurred, either by cutting away the masts, throwing goods overboard, or in other ways, all persons who have goods on board or property in the ship (or the insurers) contribute to the loss according to their average, that is, according to the proportionate value of the goods of each on board. Average in this sense is also called general average.
7. n. A sum or quantity intermediate to a number of different sums or quantities, obtained by adding them together and dividing the result by the number of quantities added; an arithmetical mean proportion. Thus, if four persons lose respectively $10, $20, $30, and $40, the average loss by the four is $25.
8. n. Any medial amount, estimate, or general statement based on a comparison of a number of diverse specific cases; a medium.
9. To find the arithemetical mean of, as unequal sums or quantities; reduce to a mean.
10. To result in, as an arithmetical mean term; amount to, as a mean sum or quantity: as, wheat averages 56 pounds to the bushel.
11. To divide among a number proportionally; divide the total amount of by the number of equal shares: as, to average a loss.
12. n. The stubble and grass left in corn-fields after harvest.
13. n. A mode of estimating, by comparison, the strength or weakness of a billiard play. The total points divided by the number of innings give the average of a game, and the aggregated points of all the games, divided by their total innings (but nut the combined single averages divided by the number of games) gives the general or grand average.
14. n. In cricket: The aggregate number of runs a batsman has scored, divided by the number of his completed innings.
15. n. The aggregate number of runs scored from a bowler, divided by the number of batsmen he has ‘dismissed.’

Wiktionary

1. n. Customs duty or similar charge payable on transported goods.
2. n. Proportional or equitable distribution of financial expense.
3. n. mathematics The arithmetic mean.
4. n. statistics Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
5. n. sports An indication of a player's ability calculated from his scoring record, etc.
6. adj. not comparable Constituting or relating to the average.
7. adj. Neither very good nor very bad; rated somewhere in the middle of all others in the same category.
8. adj. Typical.
9. adj. informal Not outstanding, not good, banal; bad or poor.
10. v. transitive, informal To compute the arithmetic mean of.
11. v. transitive Over a period of time or across members of a population, to have or generate a mean value of.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (OLd Eng. Law) That service which a tenant owed his lord, to be done by the work beasts of the tenant, as the carriage of wheat, turf, etc.
2. n. obsolete A tariff or duty on goods, etc.
3. n. Any charge in addition to the regular charge for freight of goods shipped.
4. n. A contribution to a loss or charge which has been imposed upon one of several for the general benefit; damage done by sea perils.
5. n. The equitable and proportionate distribution of loss or expense among all interested.
6. n. A mean proportion, medial sum or quantity, made out of unequal sums or quantities; an arithmetical mean.
7. n. Any medial estimate or general statement derived from a comparison of diverse specific cases; a medium or usual size, quantity, quality, rate, etc.
8. n. In the English corn trade, the medial price of the several kinds of grain in the principal corn markets.
9. adj. Pertaining to an average or mean; medial; containing a mean proportion; of a mean size, quality, ability, etc.; ordinary; usual.
10. adj. According to the laws of averages.
11. v. To find the mean of, when sums or quantities are unequal; to reduce to a mean.
12. v. To divide among a number, according to a given proportion.
13. v. To do, accomplish, get, etc., on an average.
14. v. To form, or exist in, a mean or medial sum or quantity; to amount to, or to be, on an average

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. relating to or constituting the middle value of an ordered set of values (or the average of the middle two in a set with an even number of values)
2. adj. around the middle of a scale of evaluation
3. v. amount to or come to an average, without loss or gain
4. adj. lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered
5. adj. approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
6. n. (sports) the ratio of successful performances to opportunities
7. v. compute the average of
8. n. an intermediate scale value regarded as normal or usual
9. v. achieve or reach on average
10. n. a statistic describing the location of a distribution
11. adj. relating to or constituting the most frequent value in a distribution
12. adj. lacking exceptional quality or ability