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 Word Forms

• quotidianly adverb
• quotidianness 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

The Tokyo that she showcases is one of quotidian everyday life, not the futuristic neon city that an outsider might capture.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Enthusiasts of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age will be delighted to learn of the more quotidian arts that rounded out this visually rich epoch: hand-wrought lace, calligraphy, botanical illustrations and more.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On a more quotidian basis, my physicians simply ignore a lot of what I say and, of course, they can’t be expected to remember everything about every patient, opening the door to various suboptimal consequences.

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But for those marked as enemies, their quotidian existence is one of anxiety, fear and terror.

Read more on Salon

Diving deeper than the quotidian insults of her characters’ loneliness, poverty and fear, Straight brings us inside their exhausted minds.

Read more on Los Angeles Times