different between barren vs banal

English

Etymology

From Middle English barein, barain, from Old French baraigne, baraing (“sterile; barren”), of obscure origin; probably from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *bar (“bare; barren”), from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare”). More at bare.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?bæ??n/
• Rhymes: -ær?n
• Homophone: baron (in some accents)

Adjective

barren (comparative barrener or more barren, superlative barrenest or most barren)

1. (not comparable) Unable to bear children; sterile.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar:

     Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,
     To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
     The barren, touched in this holy chase,
     Shake off their sterile curse.

   I silently wept as my daughter's husband rejected her. What would she do now that she was no longer a maiden but also barren?

2. Of poor fertility, infertile; not producing vegetation.
3. Bleak.
4. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty.
   • 1843, William H. Prescott, History of the Conquest of Mexico

     brilliant but barren reveries

   • Augusr 28, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to John Gay

     But schemes are perfectly accidental. Some will appear barren of hints and matter, but prove to be fruitful.
5. Mentally dull; stupid.
   • 1599-1602, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III, ii

     Set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too.

Synonyms

• sterile

Antonyms

• fertile
• fruitful

Translations

Noun

barren (plural barrens)

1. An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.

   The pine barrens are a site lonely enough to suit any hermit.

Translations

Anagrams

• Barner

Basque

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ba.ren/

Etymology 1

Adjective

barren (comparative barrenago, superlative barrenen, excessive barrenegi)

1. deep

Declension

Noun

barren inan

1. interior
2. guts, stomach
3. (figuratively) soul, spirit

Declension

Etymology 2

barren

1. A particle used to give certainty or emphasis.

Further reading

• “barren” in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus
• “barren” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus

Catalan

Verb

barren

1. third-person plural present indicative form of barrar

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?baren/, [?ba.r?n]

Verb

barren

1. Second-person plural (ustedes) present indicative form of barrer.
2. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes^?) present indicative form of barrer.

Swedish

Noun

barren

1. definite singular of barr
2. definite plural of barr

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