different between banal vs humdrum

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French banal (“held in common, relating to feudal service, by extension commonplace”), from Old French banel, related to Medieval Latin bann?lis (“subject to feudal authority”), from Latin bannus (“jurisdiction”), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bannan? (“order, summon, forbid”). See also ban, abandon.

Pronunciation

• enPR: b?-näl', IPA^(key): /b??n??l/
• Rhymes: -??l
• enPR: b?n'?l, IPA^(key): /?be?n?l/
• Rhymes: -e?n?l
• enPR: b?-n?l', IPA^(key): /b??næl/
• Rhymes: -æl

Adjective

banal (comparative more banal or banaler, superlative most banal or banalest)

1. Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.

   Synonyms: everyday, prosaic; see also Thesaurus:hackneyed, Thesaurus:boring

   Antonyms: new, original
2. (uncommon, historical) Relating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.

Related terms

• banality
• banalize
• banally

Translations

Further reading

• banal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• banal in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Alban, Balan, Laban, Nabal, alban, laban, labna, nabal, nabla

Breton

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

banal m

1. bramble
2. broom (a plant, sp. Genista)

Catalan

Etymology

From French banal.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /b??nal/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ba?nal/

Adjective

banal (masculine and feminine plural banals)

1. banal (common in a boring way)

Derived terms

Further reading

• “banal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “banal” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “banal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “banal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From ban +? -al, related to Medieval Latin bann?lis, from bannus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.nal/
• Homophones: banale, banals, banales

Adjective

banal (feminine singular banale, masculine plural banals, feminine plural banales)

1. banal; commonplace

Adjective

banal (feminine singular banale, masculine plural banaux, feminine plural banales)

1. (law) public
2. (historical) relating to facilities owned by feudal lords

Derived terms

• banalité

Descendants

Further reading

• “banal” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
• Banalité (droit seigneurial) on the French Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^fr

Anagrams

• Alban

German

Etymology

From French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba?na?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

banal (comparative banaler, superlative am banalsten)

1. banal

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

• “banal” in Duden online

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay banal, from Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?banal]
• Hyphenation: ba?nal

Adjective

banal

1. banal (common)

   Synonym: biasa

2. rude

   Synonym: kasar

Further reading

• “banal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Luxembourgish

Adjective

banal (masculine banalen, neuter banaalt, comparative méi banal, superlative am banaalsten)

1. banal

Declension

Malay

Etymology

From Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /banal/
• Rhymes: -anal, -nal, -al

Adjective

banal (Jawi spelling ?????, plural banal-banal)

1. banal (common)

   Synonym: basi

Further reading

• “banal” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Masbatenyo

Adjective

banál

1. holy; divine

Portuguese

Adjective

banal m or f (plural banais, comparable)

1. banal (common)
2. hackneyed (repeated too often)

   Synonyms: batido, trivial

Derived terms

Romanian

Etymology

From French banal.

Adjective

banal m or n (feminine singular banal?, masculine plural banali, feminine and neuter plural banale)

1. commonplace

Declension

Related terms

• banalitate

Spanish

Etymology

From French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba?nal/, [ba?nal]
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

banal (plural banales)

1. banal

Derived terms

Further reading

• “banal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Tagalog

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

banal

1. pious

English

Etymology

Possible reduplication of hum, 1550s.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?h?md??m/

Adjective

humdrum (comparative more humdrum, superlative most humdrum)

1. Lacking variety or excitement; dull; boring.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:boring

   • 1999, Lucy Honig, The Truly Needy And Other Stories, University of Pittsburgh Press (?ISBN), page 89:

     He suggested cusk, because he knew they would have it. She had never heard of cusk. “Doesn't it sound exotic!” she said. “Exotic indeed!” he laughed, and almost told her what a humdrum fish it really was, but stopped himself.

Translations

Noun

humdrum (countable and uncountable, plural humdrums)

1. (uncountable) The quality of lacking variety or excitement.

   Synonyms: dullness, monotony

   • 2010, Clare Vanderpool, Moon Over Manifest

     I think it helped distract us from the dry, humdrum, and heat of the here and now.

2. (countable, dated) A stupid fellow.
   • 1834, Elizabeth Frances Dagley, The Young Seer, Or Early Searches Into Futurity (page 103)

     So, after settling it that Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were complete country humdrums, the daughters hoydens, the sons awkward half-dandies, and the company altogether any thing but agreeable, she came to a conclusion she had done fifty times before, that the country was not like London.

Translations