different between prosaic vs quotidian

English

Etymology

From Middle French prosaïque, from Medieval Latin prosaicus (“in prose”), from Latin prosa (“prose”), from prorsus (“straightforward, in prose”), from Old Latin provorsus (“straight ahead”), from pro- (“forward”) + vorsus (“turned”), from vert? (“to turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to turn, to bend”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p????ze?.?k/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p?o??ze?.?k/
• Rhymes: -e??k

Adjective

prosaic (comparative more prosaic, superlative most prosaic)

1. Pertaining to or having the characteristics of prose.

   Antonym: poetic

2. (of writing or speaking) Straightforward; matter-of-fact; lacking the feeling or elegance of poetry.

3. (main usage, usually of writing or speaking but also figurative) Overly plain, simple or commonplace, to the point of being boring.

   Synonyms: humdrum, dull, unimaginative; see also Thesaurus:boring

   • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, The Whisperer in Darkness, chapter 6:

     Their steepness and abruptness were even greater than I had imagined from hearsay, and suggested nothing in common with the prosaic objective world we know.

Related terms

• prosaically
• prosaicness
• prose

Translations

Anagrams

• Caprios, ipocras, picaros

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman cotidian, cotidien, Middle French cotidian, cotidien, and their source, Latin cott?di?nus, qu?t?di?nus (“happening every day”), from adverb cott?di?, qu?t?di? (“every day, daily”), from an unattested adjective derived from quot (“how many”) + locative form of di?s (“day”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kw??t?d??n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kw??t?d??n/

Adjective

quotidian (comparative more quotidian, superlative most quotidian)

1. (medicine) Recurring every twenty-four hours or (more generally) daily (of symptoms, etc). [from 14th c.]
2. Happening every day; daily. [from 15th c.]
3. Having the characteristics of something which can be seen, experienced, etc, every day or very commonly; commonplace, ordinary, mundane. [from 15th c.]

Translations

Noun

quotidian (plural quotidians)

1. (medicine, now rare, historical) A fever which recurs every day; quotidian malaria. [from 14th c.]
2. (Anglicanism, historical) A daily allowance formerly paid to certain members of the clergy. [from 16th c.]
3. (usually with definite article) Commonplace or mundane things regarded as a class. [from 20th c.]

Translations

Interlingua

Adjective

quotidian (comparative plus quotidian, superlative le plus quotidian)

1. daily

Derived terms

• quotidianmente