quotidian

noun /kwə(ʊ)ˈtɪdɪən/

1. A fever which recurs every day; quotidian malaria.

   archaic, historical

   If I could meet that Fancie-monger, I would giue him some good counsel, for he seemes to haue the Quotidian of Loue vpon him.

2. A daily allowance formerly paid to certain members of the clergy.

   historical

3. Commonplace or mundane things regarded as a class.

   More than opposable thumbs and the invention of the flinthead axe, it was our ability to transcend the quotidian by weaving tales of awe and wonder that set us apart from the beasts.

Where it comes from

From Anglo-Norman cotidian, cotidien, Middle French cotidian, cotidien, and their source, Latin cottīdiānus, quōtīdiānus (“happening every day”), from adverb cottīdiē, quōtīdiē (“every day, daily”), from an unattested adjective derived from quot (“how many”) + locative form of diēs (“day”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry quotidian (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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