commonplace

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English

Etymology

A calque of Latin locus commūnis, referring to a generally applicable literary passage, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κοινὸς τόπος (koinòs tópos).

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈkɑmənˌpleɪs/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈkɒmənˌpleɪs/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Hyphenation: com‧mon‧place

Adjective

commonplace (comparative more commonplace, superlative most commonplace)

  1. Ordinary; not having any remarkable characteristics.
    Synonyms: routine, undistinguished, unexceptional; see also Thesaurus:hackneyed
    Antonyms: distinguished, inimitable, unique
    • 1824, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 7, in St. Ronan's Well:
      "This Mr. Tyrrel," she said, in a tone of authoritative decision, "seems after all a very ordinary sort of person, quite a commonplace man."
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
      In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.
    • 1911, Joseph Conrad, chapter 1, in Under Western Eyes:
      I could get hold of nothing but of some commonplace phrases, those futile phrases that give the measure of our impotence before each other's trials.

Translations

Noun

commonplace (plural commonplaces)

  1. A platitude or cliché.
    • 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 17, in Active Service:
      Finally he began to mutter some commonplaces which meant nothing particularly.
    • 1910, Elinor Glyn, chapter 4, in His Hour:
      And something angered Tamara in the way the Prince assisted in all this, out-commonplacing her friend in commonplaces with the suavest politeness.
  2. Something that is ordinary.
    • 1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Case of Identity" in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:
      "My dear fellow," said Sherlock Holmes as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings at Baker Street, "life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence."
  3. A memorandum; something to be frequently consulted or referred to.
    • (Can we date this quote by Jonathan Swift and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Whatever, in my reading, occurs concerning this our fellow creature, I do never fail to set it down by way of commonplace.
  4. A commonplace book.

Translations

Verb

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  1. To make a commonplace book.
  2. To enter in a commonplace book, or to reduce to general heads.
    • (Can we date this quote by Felton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      I do not apprehend any difficulty in collecting and commonplacing an universal history from the historians.
  3. (obsolete) To utter commonplaces; to indulge in platitudes.
    • 1910, Elinor Glyn, chapter 4, in His Hour:
      And something angered Tamara in the way the Prince assisted in all this, out-commonplacing her friend in commonplaces with the suavest politeness.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
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