ban

decree, legal control

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A bored gallery visitor surveys several nearly identical, uninspired sunset paintings: the same orange sun, flat horizon, and lone palm tree repeated with only trivial differences.

noun

banality

buh-NAL-uh-tee/bəˈnæləti/

The dullness of something obvious and unoriginal.

Etymology

banOld Frenchdecree, legal control

+alFrenchconnected with

+ityFrencha quality or state

The legal-control root reached 'commonplace' through feudal shared facilities or compulsory service, then the idea 'open to everyone.' The quality suffix makes banality the state of being ordinary to the point of triteness.

Full entry

Related word entries

banal
banality