commonplace etymology

Etymology:

• Common: from the Old French "communis", meaning "shared by all" or "general."
• Place: from the Old French "place", derived from the Latin "platea", meaning "wide street" or "public square."

Meaning:

"Commonplace" is an adjective that describes something that is ordinary, familiar, or widely known. It can also refer to a trite or unoriginal idea or expression.

Origin:

The term "commonplace" was originally used in the 14th century to refer to a book or notebook in which people collected common and well-known facts, quotations, or anecdotes. These books were often used as a source of information for writers and speakers.

Over time, the term "commonplace" began to be used more broadly to describe anything that was ordinary or familiar. By the 16th century, it was also being used to refer to trite or unoriginal ideas.

Examples:

• "The movie's plot was full of commonplace clichés."
• "The politician's speech was filled with commonplace platitudes."
• "The teacher gave us a commonplace assignment to write an essay about our favorite book."

Related Terms:

• Common
• Place
• Common knowledge
• Cliché
• Platitude

commonplace relate terms

• common

  Etymology refers to the study of the origin and history of words It involves tracing the

• mean

  Etymology Old English mǣne Proto Germanic mainiz Proto Indo European mei to think

• place

  Etymology The word place originates from the Latin word platea which means broad

• platitude

  Etymology Latin plātitūdō plātitudinis from plātus flat broad wide French

• cliche

  Etymology French cliché Ultimately from French clicher meaning to click Meanin

• prosaic

  Etymology Prosaic Derived from the Latin word prosaicus meaning belonging to prose

• banal

  Etymology Latin banalis meaning common ordinary trivial Old French banal Meani

• trivial

  Etymology The term trivial is derived from the Latin word trivialis which means per

• obvious

  Obvious Etymology Middle English obviouse from Latin obvius meaning in the way

• muslin

  Etymology Muslin is derived from the name of the Iraqi city of Mosul which was a major

• marker

  Etymology The word marker is derived from the Old French word marquier which itself

• stock

  Etymology The word stock has several origins Old English stocc trunk of a tree