quotidian

[ kwoh-tid-ee-uhn ]

adjective

1. occurring as part of the normal or expected order of things; usual or customary; everyday:

   Her biographer delved into the most routine and quotidian parts of her life to paint a fuller picture of his subject.

2. of no special quality or interest; ordinary; commonplace:

   His paintings are pleasant to look at, but show nothing more than quotidian talent.

3. done, happening, or given daily:

   We recommend quotidian dialysis for the patient.

4. (of a fever or disease) characterized by the recurring daily intensification of symptoms:

   Malarial fevers tend to be quotidian, with daily attacks lasting up to 12 hours before abating.

noun

1. something that is characteristic of everyday life:

   Their writing focuses on the quotidian and mundane.

   It's easy to get stuck in the quotidian and forget to try new things.

2. Archaic. a fever or disease characterized by the recurring daily intensification of symptoms.

quotidian

/ kwəʊˈtɪdɪən /

adjective

1. (esp of attacks of malarial fever) recurring daily
2. everyday; commonplace

noun

1. a malarial fever characterized by attacks that recur daily

Other Words From

• quo·tidi·an·ly adverb
• quo·tidi·an·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of quotidian¹

1300–50; < Latin quotīdiānus, cottīdiānus daily, equivalent to cottīdi ( ē ) every day (adv.) ( *quot ( t ) ī a locative form akin to quot however many occur, every + diē, ablative of diēs day; meridian ) + -ānus -an; replacing Middle English cotidien < Old French < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of quotidian¹

C14: from Latin quotīdiānus, variant of cottīdiānus daily

Example Sentences

Without a lot of reference to specific time and place, the playwright cleverly moves the years forward, revealing the details of new relationships, job changes, illness using sometimes quotidian dialogue that rings particularly true.

From Washington Blade

Here’s what to know about what a solid-state lithium-ion battery is—why it promises to be a step forward from the way regular lithium-ion batteries work, and why the new tech could be an asset in a device as quotidian as a hand-held vacuum cleaner.

From Popular-Science

Rituals of travel, such as packing a bag or grazing on oversalted airplane peanuts, signal that it’s time to put some of those quotidian selves on the shelf.

From Washington Post

Over the past two decades, this content has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, from profound actions like choosing a leader, building a career, and falling in love to more quotidian ones like hailing a cab and watching a movie.

From Washington Post

Outlets that produce modern paragraph-style recipes lean away from this parental instinct, instead acknowledging the independence of home cooks and the quotidian realities that prevent them from prioritizing cooking.

From Eater

To read their letters is a similar exercise, even when the correspondence regards only quotidian matters.

From The Daily Beast

Videos uploaded by some mothers and fathers are less of a reach out than a simple continuation of their quotidian Internet habits.

From The Daily Beast

We Think Alone feels at first somehow too quotidian and mundane, wholly un-artlike.

From The Daily Beast

The other extreme is “rooted in very quiet, quotidian, perhaps more conventionally Japanese forms of narrative.”

From The Daily Beast

Creator Matthew Weiner wants to ensure that even the most quotidian of details about the plot remain concealed.

From The Daily Beast

Time moved for you not in quotidian beats, But in the long slow rhythm the ages keep In their immortal symphony.

From Project Gutenberg

It might be that the fever was not quotidian, but tertian, and that it would return next day.

From Project Gutenberg

Had a quotidian intermittent, which was removed by the humane assistance of an amiable young lady.

From Project Gutenberg

For our quotidian difficulties his example promises no solution.

From Project Gutenberg

In the end, loss of eternal truths was more than compensated for in the accession of quotidian facts.

From Project Gutenberg