banal
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Alternative forms
- (uncommon) bannal
Etymology
Borrowed from French banal (“held in common, relating to feudal service, by extension commonplace”), from Old French banel, related to Medieval Latin bannālis (“subject to feudal authority”), from Latin bannus (“jurisdiction”), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“to order, summon, forbid”). Equivalent to ban + -al. See also ban, abandon.
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal (comparative more banal or banaler, superlative most banal or banalest)
- Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.
- Synonyms: everyday, prosaic, mundane; see also Thesaurus:hackneyed, Thesaurus:boring
- Antonyms: new, original
- 2013, John Carney, Begin Again (motion picture), spoken by Dan (Mark Ruffalo):
- One of the most banal scenes is suddenly invested with so much meaning! All these banalities - They're suddenly turned into these… these beautiful, effervescent pearls. From Music.
- (uncommon, historical) Relating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.
- 1926, Thomas Guérin, Feudal Canada: The Story of the Seigniories of New France, page 72:
- They arrived in 1732, and were distributed gratis to the more important banal mills.
- 1984, C. Warren Hollister, “War and Diplomacy in the Anglo-Norman world: the reign of Henry I”, in Anglo-Norman Studies VI: Proceedings of the Battle Conference, 1983, page 79:
- French historians have viewed these policies as efforts to replace the banal authority inherited from the Carolingians […]
- 2002, Wim Blockmans, Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe 300–1500, page 138:
- To what extent were banal lords accountable to a prince or a king for their unrestricted exercise of public authority?
Derived terms
Translations
common
|
Further reading
- “banal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “banal”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
Anagrams
Bikol Central
Etymology
From Proto-Philippine *bənər, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bənər. Compare Kapampangan banal, Masbatenyo banal, and Tagalog banal.
Pronunciation
Adjective
banál
Derived terms
- kabanalan
- magbanal
- pabanal
Breton
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
banal m
Catalan
Etymology
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal m or f (masculine and feminine plural banals)
- banal (common in a boring way)
Derived terms
- banalitat
- banalitzar
- banalment
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, 2025
- “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 bannālis, from bannus.
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal (feminine banale, masculine plural banals or banaux, feminine plural banales)
- (historical) owned by feudal lords
- (law) public, shared
- Synonym: communal
- un four banal ― a village oven
- un moulin banal ― a village mill
- un pressoir banal ― a village press
- banal, trite, commonplace
Usage notes
- The masculine plural banaux is used for the feudal and legal senses, while the form banals is used for the far more common sense of "trite."
Derived terms
Descendants
- → Belarusian: бана́льны (banálʹny)
- → Catalan: banal
- → Dutch: banaal
- → English: banal
- → German: banal
- → Polish: banalny
- → Portuguese: banal
- → Romanian: banal
- → Russian: бана́льный (banálʹnyj)
- → Georgian: ბანალური (banaluri)
- → Spanish: banal
- → Turkish: banal
- → Ukrainian: бана́льний (banálʹnyj)
- → Macedonian: банално (banalno)
Further reading
- “banal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
German
Etymology
Borrowed from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal (strong nominative masculine singular banaler, comparative banaler, superlative am banalsten)
Declension
number & gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
predicative | er ist banal | sie ist banal | es ist banal | sie sind banal | |
strong declension (without article) |
nominative | banaler | banale | banales | banale |
genitive | banalen | banaler | banalen | banaler | |
dative | banalem | banaler | banalem | banalen | |
accusative | banalen | banale | banales | banale | |
weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der banale | die banale | das banale | die banalen |
genitive | des banalen | der banalen | des banalen | der banalen | |
dative | dem banalen | der banalen | dem banalen | den banalen | |
accusative | den banalen | die banale | das banale | die banalen | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein banaler | eine banale | ein banales | (keine) banalen |
genitive | eines banalen | einer banalen | eines banalen | (keiner) banalen | |
dative | einem banalen | einer banalen | einem banalen | (keinen) banalen | |
accusative | einen banalen | eine banale | ein banales | (keine) banalen |
Positive forms of banal
number & gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
predicative | er ist banaler | sie ist banaler | es ist banaler | sie sind banaler | |
strong declension (without article) |
nominative | banalerer | banalere | banaleres | banalere |
genitive | banaleren | banalerer | banaleren | banalerer | |
dative | banalerem | banalerer | banalerem | banaleren | |
accusative | banaleren | banalere | banaleres | banalere | |
weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der banalere | die banalere | das banalere | die banaleren |
genitive | des banaleren | der banaleren | des banaleren | der banaleren | |
dative | dem banaleren | der banaleren | dem banaleren | den banaleren | |
accusative | den banaleren | die banalere | das banalere | die banaleren | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein banalerer | eine banalere | ein banaleres | (keine) banaleren |
genitive | eines banaleren | einer banaleren | eines banaleren | (keiner) banaleren | |
dative | einem banaleren | einer banaleren | einem banaleren | (keinen) banaleren | |
accusative | einen banaleren | eine banalere | ein banaleres | (keine) banaleren |
Comparative forms of banal
Superlative forms of banal
Related terms
Further reading
Indonesian
Etymology
From Malay banal, from Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal
Further reading
- “banal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Kapampangan
Etymology
From Proto-Philippine *bənər, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bənər. Compare Bikol Central banal, Masbatenyo banal, and Tagalog banal.
Adjective
banál
Derived terms
- magpakabanal
Luxembourgish
Adjective
banal (masculine banalen, neuter banaalt, comparative méi banal, superlative am banaalsten)
Declension
singular | plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
predicative | hien ass banal | si ass banal | et ass banal | si si(nn) banal | |
nominative / accusative |
attributive and/or after determiner | banalen | banal | banaalt | banal |
independent without determiner | banales | banaler | |||
dative | after any declined word | banalen | banaler | banalen | banalen |
as first declined word | banalem | banalem |
Malay
Etymology
From Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal (Jawi spelling بانل)
Further reading
- “banal” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
Masbatenyo
Etymology
From Proto-Philippine *bənər, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bənər.
Adjective
banál
Portuguese
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal m or f (plural banais)
Derived terms
Romanian
Etymology
Adjective
banal m or n (feminine singular banală, masculine plural banali, feminine and neuter plural banale)
Declension
Related terms
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannālis, from bannum.
Pronunciation
Adjective
banal m or f (masculine and feminine plural banales)
Derived terms
Further reading
- “banal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
Swedish
Tagalog
Turkish
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