commonplace

Etymology

It is formed from English common + place,^[2][3] originally written with a space,^[4][5][6] as a translation of Latin locus commūnis (“a generally applicable argument or passage”),^{[2][7][8][9][10]} itself a translation of Ancient Greek κοινὸς τόπος (koinòs tópos, “general topic”),^[2][3][7][9] in Aristotle simply τόπος (tópos).^[2] Cicero explained the Latin phrase as a general theme or argument that applies to many particular cases.^[2][3] Collections of such topics were later called loci commūnēs, a frequent title of books in the early 16th century,^[2] and Thomas Elyot used the Latin phrase in an English book in 1531.^[2] The same Greek word lies behind topic.^[9][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A passage of text of general relevance that could serve as the basis of a discussion, and a notable passage collected with others in a book: both in about 1531, in works by R. Barnes and J. Frith.^[2] Etymonline dates the noun to the 1540s, as "a statement generally accepted".^[3]

Semantic evolution

Word Origins explains that people kept commonplace books of such passages, and that quoting them no doubt led to the modern sense.^[6] In the 16th century the word was a term of rhetoric and preaching: the theme of a sermon (1549–1665), and a sermon on a set theme (1595–1791).^[2][8] From 1560 it also meant a statement generally accepted, an everyday or trite saying,^[2][3] and the commonplace book, where notable passages were copied, is recorded from 1562.^[2][3] The adjective came in the early 17th century, first meaning ordinary or usual (1609 in Merriam-Webster, 1616 in Jonson for the OED),^[8][2][9] and only from 1801 the disparaging "unoriginal, trite".^[2] Etymonline dates "having nothing original" to about 1600.^[3] The verb was first used of preaching on a commonplace (1598), and later, since 1649, of copying passages into a commonplace book;^[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as "to reduce to general heads".^[11] From 1802 a commonplace could be any ordinary thing or occurrence, as in Wordsworth,^[2] while since 1849 the commonplace meant ordinary things as a class.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1531 – a passage of general relevance; a notable passage collected in a book.^[2]
• 1540s – a statement generally accepted.^[3]
• 1549 – the theme of a sermon (obsolete by 1665).^[2][8]
• 1560 – a generally accepted statement; a trite saying, a platitude.^[2]
• 1561 – verb, to extract passages, in Merriam-Webster's dating.^[8]
• 1562 – commonplace book.^[2]
• 1598 – verb, to discourse on a commonplace.^[2]
• 1609 – adjective, ordinary (Merriam-Webster; 1616 in the OED).^[8][2]
• 1649 – verb, to enter passages in a commonplace book.^[2]
• 1755 – Johnson: to reduce to general heads.^[11]
• 1801 – adjective, unoriginal, trite.^[2]
• 1802 – an ordinary object or occurrence.^[2]
• 1849 – the commonplace, ordinary things as a class.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Ordinary and everyday; found or happening often: Smartphones are now commonplace in classrooms.^[12][8][2]
2. Dull and lacking originality; trite.^[12][8][2]

Noun

1. A remark or idea that is obvious and overused; a platitude or truism.^[12][8][2]
2. An ordinary or common thing or event.^[12][2]
3. (archaic) A striking passage, especially one copied into a commonplace book.^[8][12][2]
4. (obsolete) A commonplace book.^[8][2]
5. (obsolete, 1549–1665) The theme or text of a sermon.^[2][8]

Verb

1. To copy striking passages from a text into a commonplace book, usually arranged under headings.^[8][2][11]
2. To speak in commonplaces.^[8][2]

Word family

• commonplaceness
• commonplacely
• uncommonplace

Related words

• commonplace book
• common
• place
• topic

Usage notes

Dictionary.com distinguishes commonplace from its near-synonyms: it is used of thought that is dull, ordinary and full of platitudes; banal of what seems inane, insipid and pointless; hackneyed of what is stale and worn out by overuse; stereotyped of the same thoughts and words used for every similar situation; and trite of what was once striking and apt but has lost all interest through constant use.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
11. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
12. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
13. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House