trite

See also: Trite and трите

English

WOTD – 19 November 2015

From Latin trītus "worn out," a form of the verb terō (“I wear away, wear out”).

trite (comparative triter, superlative tritest)

Often in reference to a word or phrase: used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed.
- 1897, W. B. Kimberly, History of West Australia : A Narrative of Her Past together with Biographies of Her Leading Men:
  It is a trite saying in a young country that anyone starting out in life with the determination to become wealthy will have his wish gratified.
- 1994, Anthony Bergin, “The High Seas Regime – Pacific Trends and Developments”, in James Crawford, Donald R. Rothwell, editors, The Law of the Sea in the Asian Pacific Region: Developments and Prospects, Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, →ISBN, page 183:
  It is trite history – and trite law – to say that the law of the sea since that time [World War II] reflects a history of coastal State expansion.
- 2007, Danielle Corsetto, Girls with Slingshots: 267‎^[1]:
  McPedro the cactus: How to woo a woman! On yehr fahrst date, don’t bring her cut flowers! That’s inhumane! And trite!
(law) So well established as to be beyond debate: trite law.
- 2017, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Taucar v Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, 2017 ONSC 2604:
  It is trite to say that the mere fact that a decision does not favour the applicant or that the applicant disagrees with the decision does not establish that the decision is tainted with bias.

used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective — see also hackneyed,‎ worn-out

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

trite (plural trites)

A denomination of coinage in ancient Greece equivalent to one third of a stater.

denomination of ancient Greek coinage

trite

trīte

“trite”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
trite in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

trite