Added 9 October 2026
banal
/bəˈnɑːl/ adjective
Latin root: bannālis Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about banal at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.
banal clichés
- Relating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.
Origin
Borrowed from French banal (“held in common, relating to feudal service, by extension commonplace”), from Old French banel, related to Medieval Latin bannālis (“subject to feudal authority”), from Latin bannus (“jurisdiction”), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“to order, summon, forbid”). Equivalent to ban + -al. See also ban, abandon.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)