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➗ A shared divisor 📜 A verse pattern 🎵 4/4 time
common measure

common measure

5.2
A number that divides two or more numbers exactly with no remainder
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːmən ˈmɛʒər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : máximo común divisor
  • The number 4 is a common measure of both 8 and 12.

Examples

  • 6 is a common measure of 12 and 18.

  • To simplify the fractions, find a common measure for the denominators.

  • The students were asked to identify a common measure for the pair of numbers.

  • We need to find a common measure for these fractions.

  • 6 is a common measure of 12 and 18.

  • The number 4 is a common measure of both 8 and 12.

  • We need to find a common measure for these fractions.

Synonyms

common factor
vscommon measure
  • Specialized
1 2.7

A number that divides two or more numbers exactly

is the identical concept with the same scope and result
common divisor
vscommon measure
  • Specialized
3.9

A number that divides two or more whole numbers leaving nothing left

is broader, applying to any numbers not only integers

Surface Forms

common measure singular
common measures plural

Morphology

common + measure

The meaning 'a musical time signature (4/4)' is a specialized, technical sense that cannot be directly inferred from 'common' ('usual/shared') plus the given sense of 'measure' ('benchmark or standard'). A B1 learner who only knows these constituent meanings would not predict the musical/bar meaning or the specific 4/4 interpretation without prior exposure to musical terminology, so the phrase is idiomatic/terminological in this use.

Etymology

Common measure comes from the image of using the same stick to measure two ropes: if the stick fits into both with no leftover, it is a 'common measure'. So it means a number that divides two or more numbers exactly, with no remainder.