- fa|mil´iar|ness
- fa|mil|iar «fuh MIHL yuhr», adjective, noun.–adj.1. known from constant association; well-known: »
a familiface. French is as familiar to him as English.
6. too friendly; presuming; forward: »It is considered to be too familiar for a pupil to call his teacher by her first name.
8. Archaic. of or having to do with one's family or household.–n.1. a familiar friend or acquaintance: »Labor's staunch old familiars ranged out onto the hustings last week to address a country which seemed to be basking in a kind of prosperous complacency (Time).
2. a spirit or demon supposed to serve a particular person. A black cat was thought to be a witch's familiar.3. a person who belongs to the household of a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church and renders domestic, though not menial, service.4. an officer of the Inquisition whose chief duty was to arrest the accused or suspected.5. Obsolete. a member of a person's family or household.╂[< Old French familier, learned borrowing from Latin familiāris < familia family < famulus servant]–fa|mil´iar|ly, adverb.–fa|mil´iar|ness, noun.Synonym Study adjective. 4 Familiar, intimate, confidential mean personally near or close. Familiar suggests an easy, informal relationship that comes of long or close acquaintance: »I feel very familiar with my cousin.
Intimate suggests a very close personal relationship based on affection or common interests: »They have been intimate friends since childhood.
Confidential suggests mutual trust and willingness to share personal secrets or private affairs: »The twin sisters had always lived on the most intimate and confidential terms. She is the manager's confidential secretary.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
