Commonplacely

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Routine or mundane in manner, indicating something that is frequently encountered or widely accepted in everyday life
2. Performed in a way that is typical or ordinary, often lacking any distinctive or remarkable quality
3. Presented in a manner that reflects common usage or familiarity, thereby rendering it unexceptional or prosaic

Etymology: "Commonplacely" is simply "commonplace" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached. The suffix has a long lineage of its own: it descends from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form" (likely the source of the English word "like"), which became a suffix meaning "having the form of" and eventually "in the manner of." Old English used "-līce" in exactly this way to turn adjectives into adverbs, and Middle English shortened it to "-ly," the form still used today. "Commonplace" is itself a compound of "common" and "place," where "place" in the older sense of a topic or passage in a book. The word originally referred to a heading or passage in a notebook that was frequently used or cited, which is why a "commonplace" came to mean something ordinary and familiar. The adverb therefore describes doing something in a way that is routine, ordinary, or widely familiar.

Synonyms: ordinarily, usually, commonly

Antonyms: uniquely, uncommonly