boilerplate

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The Word of the Day for November 27 is:

boilerplate   \BOY-ler-playt\   noun
      1: syndicated material supplied especially to weekly 
newspapers in matrix or plate form 
    *2: standardized, formulaic, or hackneyed language 

Example sentence:
      Much to my disappointment, the mayor-elect's speech 
consisted primarily of boilerplate and offered no information 
about his plans for his term in office.

Did you know?
     In the days before computers, local newspapers around the 
U.S. relied heavily on feature stories, editorials, and other 
printed material supplied by large publishing syndicates. The 
syndicates delivered that copy on metal plates with the type 
already in place so the local papers wouldn't have to set it. 
Printers apparently dubbed these syndicated plates "boiler 
plates" because of their resemblance to the plating used in 
making steam boilers. Soon "boilerplate" came to refer to the 
printed material on the plates as well as to the plates 
themselves. Because boilerplate stories contained mostly filler 
and very little hard news, the word acquired negative 
connotations and gained another sense widely used today: 
hackneyed or unoriginal writing. 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.