mundane

views updated May 17 2018

mun·dane / ˌmənˈdān/ • adj. 1. lacking interest or excitement; dull: seeking a way out of his mundane, humdrum existence.2. of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one: according to the Shinto doctrine, spirits of the dead can act upon the mundane world. ∎  of, relating to, or denoting the branch of astrology that deals with political, social, economic, and geophysical events and processes.DERIVATIVES: mun·dane·ly adv.mun·dane·ness n.mun·dan·i·ty / -ˈdānətē/ n. (pl. -ties) .

mundane

views updated Jun 11 2018

mundane worldly, earthly XV; cosmic XVII. orig. mondaine — (O)F. mondain — late L. mundānus, f. mundus world, (earlier) universe of celestial bodies, spec. use of mundus personal adornment, after Gr. kósmos (see COSMOS). Later assim. to L. (see -ANE1).