workaday

Definition

Suitable for everyday use.

Etymology

Middle English werkedei, from Old Norse virkr dagr (“working day”). Cognate to later workday; see work and day. Used in adjective sense from 16th century. By surface analysis, work + -a- + day. First attested in c. 1200.

Example Sentences

• "A retreat, my dear boys, signifies a withdrawal for a while from the cares of our life, the cares of this workaday world, in order to examine the state of our conscience, to reflect on the mysteries of holy religion and to understand better why we are here in this world.""
• "But then something started to shift—the Burning Man aesthetic was creeping into the workaday world; festival culture went mainstream."

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