- Today's Word
Quotidian
kwoh-TID-ee-uhn
Definition
- (adjective) Happening every day; ordinary or routine.
Example
Though quotidian, her morning coffee ritual brought her immense comfort.
Fun Fact
“Quotidian” comes from the Latin quotidianus, meaning “daily.” While it often describes mundane routines, many writers and philosophers celebrate the beauty of everyday life. The poet William Wordsworth found inspiration in quotidian moments, turning simple walks and ordinary people into powerful poetry. In psychology, mindfulness practices encourage people to appreciate the quotidian rather than overlook it.
(adjective) Of doubtful authenticity; widely circulated but almost certainly not true or not based in fact.
The tale of Washington chopping down the cherry tree is almost certainly apocryphal — a moral fable dressed up as biography and repeated until it became fact.
Apocryphal derives from the Greek apokryphos, meaning “hidden” or “obscure,” from apokryptein — “to hide away” — built from apo- (“away”) and kryptein (“to hide”). It entered English through the ecclesiastical Latin apocrypha, referring to biblical texts excluded from the official canon — writings considered of uncertain or dubious origin. From there it broadened into its modern sense of any story or claim whose authenticity is doubtful despite its wide circulation.