Av"er*age (&?;), n. [OF. average, LL.
averagium, prob. fr. OF. aver, F. avoir, property,
horses, cattle, etc.; prop. infin., to have, from L. habere to have.
Cf. F. avérage small cattle, and avarie (perh. of
different origin) damage to ship or cargo, port dues. The first meaning was
perh. the service of carting a feudal lord's wheat, then charge for
carriage, the contribution towards loss of things carried, in proportion to
the amount of each person's property. Cf. Aver,
n., Avercorn, Averpenny.]
1. (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. [Cf. F. avarie damage to ship or cargo.]
(Com.) (a) A tariff or duty on goods,
etc. [Obs.] (b) Any charge in addition to the
regular charge for freight of goods shipped. (c)
A contribution to a loss or charge which has been imposed upon one of
several for the general benefit; damage done by sea perils.
(d) The equitable and proportionate distribution of
loss or expense among all interested.
General average, a contribution made, by all
parties concerned in a sea adventure, toward a loss occasioned by the
voluntary sacrifice of the property of some of the parties in interest for
the benefit of all. It is called general average, because it falls
upon the gross amount of ship, cargo, and freight at risk and saved by the
sacrifice. Kent. -- Particular average
signifies the damage or partial loss happening to the ship, or cargo,
or freight, in consequence of some fortuitous or unavoidable accident; and
it is borne by the individual owners of the articles damaged, or by their
insurers. -- Petty averages are sundry small
charges, which occur regularly, and are necessarily defrayed by the master
in the usual course of a voyage; such as port charges, common pilotage, and
the like, which formerly were, and in some cases still are, borne partly by
the ship and partly by the cargo. In the clause commonly found in bills of
lading, "primage and average accustomed," average means a
kind of composition established by usage for such charges, which were
formerly assessed by way of average. Arnould. Abbott.
Phillips.
3. A mean proportion, medial sum or quantity, made
out of unequal sums or quantities; an arithmetical mean. Thus, if A loses 5
dollars, B 9, and C 16, the sum is 30, and the average 10.
4. Any medial estimate or general statement derived
from a comparison of diverse specific cases; a medium or usual size,
quantity, quality, rate, etc. "The average of sensations."
Paley.
5. pl. In the English corn trade, the medial
price of the several kinds of grain in the principal corn
markets.
On an average, taking the mean of unequal numbers
or quantities.
Av"er*age (&?;), a. 1.
Pertaining to an average or mean; medial; containing a mean
proportion; of a mean size, quality, ability, etc.; ordinary; usual; as, an
average rate of profit; an average amount of rain; the
average Englishman; beings of the average stamp.
2. According to the laws of averages; as, the loss
must be made good by average contribution.
Av"er*age, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Averaged (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n.
Averaging.] 1. To find the mean of, when sums
or quantities are unequal; to reduce to a mean.
2. To divide among a number, according to a given
proportion; as, to average a loss.
3. To do, accomplish, get, etc., on an
average.
Av"er*age, v. i. To form, or exist in, a
mean or medial sum or quantity; to amount to, or to be, on an average; as,
the losses of the owners will average twenty five dollars each;
these spars average ten feet in length.
