trivia

¹

[triv-ee-uh]

plural noun

1. matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.

Trivia

²

[triv-ee-uh]

noun

1. (in Roman religion) Diana: so called because she was the goddess of three-way crossroads and also because she was regarded as a deity with three personae.

trivia

/ ˈtrɪvɪə /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) petty details or considerations; trifles; trivialities

Word History and Origins

Origin of trivia¹

1900–05; pseudo-Latin trivia (neuter plural), taken as the base of trivial

Origin of trivia²

First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin, feminine of trivius (adj.), derivative of trivium “place where three roads meet,” equivalent to tri- tri- + -vium, derivative of via “way, road”

Word History and Origins

Origin of trivia¹

from New Latin, plural of Latin trivium junction of three roads; for meaning, see _trivial

Example Sentences

Until a few years ago, Chongqing was largely a trivia answer: the world’s most populous city by some measures, with 32 million people in a South Carolina-size area.

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The reboot, which premiered over the weekend, has mostly stayed true to its roots with a new rerecorded theme song and a trivia segment.

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Teams of friends or strangers compete in trivia, speed challenges, blocks, and, of course, a giant wheel.

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A bit of Grammy trivia for you: You’ve lost the award for traditional pop vocal album three times, which I thought was a lot until I discovered that Barbra Streisand has lost 13 times.

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Oh, there is one more bit of trivia about the man who gave us the slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.”

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Related Words

• memorabilia 
• minutiae