Commonplace

/ˈkɑːmənpleɪs/ adjective

Definition

So ordinary and usual that it's not interesting or special anymore; happening all the time.

Etymology

Originally from the concept of a 'commonplace book'—a personal notebook where people wrote down memorable or useful passages. Over time, the term shifted to describe something that appeared everywhere and was therefore unremarkable.

Kelly Says

Renaissance scholars kept 'commonplace books' to record brilliant ideas, but eventually anything found in lots of these books became seen as boring—so the word flipped from valuable to ordinary!

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