banal

• bannal (uncommon)

Borrowed from French banal (“held in common, relating to feudal service, by extension commonplace”), from Old French banel, related to Medieval Latin bannālis (“subject to feudal authority”), from Latin bannus (“jurisdiction”), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“to order, summon, forbid”). Equivalent to ban +‎ -al. See also ban, abandon.

• IPA^(key): /bəˈnɑːl/, /ˈbeɪnəl/, /bəˈnæl/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːl, -eɪnəl, -æl
• Hyphenation: ban‧al

banal (comparative more banal or banaler, superlative most banal or banalest)

1. Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.

   Synonyms: everyday, prosaic, mundane; see also Thesaurus:hackneyed, Thesaurus:boring

   Antonyms: new, original

   • 2013, John Carney, Begin Again (motion picture), spoken by Dan (Mark Ruffalo):

     One of the most banal scenes is suddenly invested with so much meaning! All these banalities - They're suddenly turned into these… these beautiful, effervescent pearls. From Music.

2. (uncommon, historical) Relating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.
   • 1926, Thomas Guérin, Feudal Canada: The Story of the Seigniories of New France, page 72:

     They arrived in 1732, and were distributed gratis to the more important banal mills.

   • 1984, C. Warren Hollister, “War and Diplomacy in the Anglo-Norman world: the reign of Henry I”, in Anglo-Norman Studies VI: Proceedings of the Battle Conference, 1983, page 79:

     French historians have viewed these policies as efforts to replace the banal authority inherited from the Carolingians […]

   • 2002, Wim Blockmans, Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe 300–1500, page 138:

     To what extent were banal lords accountable to a prince or a king for their unrestricted exercise of public authority?

• “banal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “banal”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

• Alban, Balan, Blaan, Laban, Nabal, alban, laban, labna, nabal, nabla

Inherited from Proto-Philippine *bənər, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bənər. Compare Kapampangan banal, Masbatenyo banal, and Tagalog banal.

• IPA^(key): /baˈnal/ [baˈn̪al̪]
• Hyphenation: ba‧nal

banál (Basahan spelling ᜊᜈᜎ᜔)

1. pious; devout

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

banal m

1. bramble
2. broom (a plant, sp. Genista)

Borrowed from French banal.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [bəˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [baˈnal]

banal m or f (masculine and feminine plural banals)

1. banal (common in a boring way)

• “banal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “banal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “banal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “banal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

From ban +‎ -al, related to Medieval Latin bannālis, from bannus.

• IPA^(key): /ba.nal/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: banale, banals, banales

banal (feminine banale, masculine plural banals or banaux, feminine plural banales)

1. (historical) owned by feudal lords
2. (law) public, shared

   Synonym: communal

   un four banal ― a village oven

   un moulin banal ― a village mill

   un pressoir banal ― a village press

3. banal, trite, commonplace

• The masculine plural banaux is used for the feudal and legal senses, while the form banals is used for the far more common sense of "trite."

• banaliser
• banalité

• “banal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• Alban

Borrowed from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

• IPA^(key): /baˈnaːl/
• Rhymes: -aːl

• Audio:

  (file)

banal (strong nominative masculine singular banaler, comparative banaler, superlative am banalsten)

1. banal

• “banal” in Duden online
• “banal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

From Malay banal, from Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

• IPA^(key): [ˈbanal]
• Hyphenation: ba‧nal

banal

1. banal (common)

   Synonym: biasa

2. rude

   Synonym: kasar

• “banal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

From Proto-Philippine *bənər, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bənər. Compare Bikol Central banal, Masbatenyo banal, and Tagalog banal.

banál

1. holy; sacred

banal (masculine banalen, neuter banaalt, comparative méi banal, superlative am banaalsten)

1. banal

From Dutch banaal, from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannalis, from bannum.

• IPA^(key): /banal/
• Rhymes: -anal, -nal, -al

banal (Jawi spelling بانل)

1. banal (common)

   Synonym: basi

• “banal” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

From Proto-Philippine *bənər, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bənər.

banál

1. holy; divine

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: ba‧nal

banal m or f (plural banais)

1. banal (common)
2. hackneyed (repeated too often)

   Synonyms: batido, trivial

Borrowed from French banal.

banal m or n (feminine singular banală, masculine plural banali, feminine and neuter plural banale)

1. commonplace

• banalitate

Borrowed from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannālis, from bannum.

• IPA^(key): /baˈnal/ [baˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ba‧nal

banal m or f (masculine and feminine plural banales)

1. banal

• “banal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Borrowed from French banal. First attested in 1845.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /baˈnɑːl/
• Rhymes: -ɑːl

banal (comparative banalare, superlative banalast)

1. banal
   • 2023 June 21, Hedda Berglund, “Larmet från vårdcentralerna: Yngre söker vård i onödan [The alarm from the health centers: Younger people seek care unnecessarily]”, in SVT Nyheter‎^[1]:

     Myggbett. Insektsbett. Skoskav. Feber sen igår. Täppt i näsan. Ont i ögonen eftersom man har gråtit mycket. En ögonfrans har trillat av. […] Hosta i tre timmar. Håravfall efter att man färgat håret flera gånger. Sjukskrivning för att en lösnagel hade ramlat av. […] Det är några exempel på det som vi kallar banala hälsotillstånd.

     Mosquito bite. Insect bite. Shoe chafing. Fever since yesterday. Blocked nose. Eyes hurting because one have cried a lot. An eyelash has fallen off. […] Cough for three hours. Hair loss after dyeing one's hair several times. Sick leave because a false nail had fallen off. […] These are some examples of what we call banal health conditions.

   1. trite
      • 1982, Ratata, “Jackie”, in Jackie‎^[2]:

        Jackie, jag tror att du förstår. Den där tiden satte spår. Det kanske låter banalt, men jag saknar dig så.

        Jackie, I think you understand. That time left its mark. It might sound trite, but I miss you so.

• alldaglig (“everyday, quotidian”)
• ointressant (“uninteresting”)

• platt (“flat”)
• sliten (“worn, worn out”)
• uttjatad

• banalitet

• banal in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• banal in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Borrowed from Malay benar, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bənər (“true, righteous, honest”). Compare Bikol Central banal, Kapampangan banal, Masbatenyo banal, and Tausug bunnal.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /baˈnal/ [bɐˈn̪al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ba‧nal

banál (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜈᜎ᜔)

1. holy; sacred; blessed

   Synonyms: sagrado, santo, bendito, benditado

2. virtuous; righteous
3. pious; devout

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbanal/ [ˈbaː.n̪ɐl]
• Rhymes: -anal
• Syllabification: ba‧nal

banal (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜈᜎ᜔) (obsolete)

1. discomfort in one's bones (of the hands or feet)

   Synonyms: pilay, sala, lisya

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbanal/ [ˈbaː.n̪ɐl]
• Rhymes: -anal
• Syllabification: ba‧nal

banal (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜈᜎ᜔) (obsolete)

1. weight of five onzas

• “banal”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613) Juan de Silva, editor, Vocabulario de lengua tagala: El romance castellano puesto primero‎^[3], La Noble Villa de Pila
  • page 232: “Deſconçertarſe) Banal (pp) pie o mano”
  • page 379: “Iuſto) Banal (pc) que en todo açierta”
  • page 601: “Virtuoſo) Banal (pc) que ſigue la juſtiçia”

• lanab, laban

Borrowed from French banal, from Medieval Latin bannālis.

• IPA^(key): /bɑˈnɑl/
• Hyphenation: ba‧nal

banal

1. banal

• banallik