The word for today is…

perfunctory (adjective):

1 : characterized by routine or superficiality : mechanical
2 : lacking in interest or enthusiasm

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : A perfunctory explanation of the origins of perfunctory would be this: it comes from Latin. Borrowed in the late 16th century, the word is specifically from the Late Latin perfunctorius, meaning “done in a careless or superficial manner.” Perfunctorius ultimately comes from two Latin sources, per-, meaning “through,” and fungi, meaning “to perform.” Fungi is also a source to such words as function, defunct, and fungible, but not to fungus; that word is also from Latin, but it is most likely a modification of the Greek word spongos, meaning “sponge.”

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David is a retired surgeon originally from London who came to New Zealand twenty-seven years ago after being delayed in Singapore for thirteen years on leaving the UK. He was coerced into studying Latin...