banal

Etymology

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.

adj

1. Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.
   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. 2013, John Carney, Begin Again (motion picture), spoken by Dan (Mark Ruffalo)
2. (uncommon, historical) Relating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.
   They arrived in 1732, and were distributed gratis to the more important banal mills. 1926, Thomas Guérin, Feudal Canada: The Story of the Seigniories of New France, page 72
   French historians have viewed these policies as efforts to replace the banal authority inherited from the Carolingians […] 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
   To what extent were banal lords accountable to a prince or a king for their unrestricted exercise of public authority? 2002, Wim Blockmans, Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe 300–1500, page 138