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

He proposed basing it on this quotidian word song cycle in conjunction with the existing instrumental pieces, and weaving the result into an interactive film piece.

From Los Angeles Times

And no, not set in a post-apocalyptic world caused by catastrophic events, but in the recognizable wilds of everyday lives, and in that quotidian arena of judgment familiar to citizens everywhere: a city courthouse.

From Los Angeles Times

Group members are involved in efforts to fight back, and they also do more quotidian things, from awarding scholarships to high school students to digging ditches on one another’s properties.

From Los Angeles Times

His examples range from quotidian comedy to bizarre criminality.

From Los Angeles Times

Hong invites us to look beyond story parallels into something simultaneously deeper and more quotidian.

From Los Angeles Times