quadrivium

[ kwo-driv-ee-uhm ]
/ kwɒˈdrɪv i əm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR quadrivium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural quad·riv·i·a [kwo-driv-ee-uh]. /kwɒˈdrɪv i ə/.

(during the Middle Ages) the more advanced division of the seven liberal arts, comprising arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music.

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Compare trivium.

Origin of quadrivium

1795–1805; <Late Latin, special use of Latin quadrivium place where four ways meet; see quadri-, via, -ium

Words nearby quadrivium

quadrireme, quadrisect, quadrisyllable, quadrivalent, quadrivial, quadrivium, quadrominium, quadroon, quadrophonics, quadru-, quadrumane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to quadrivium

quartette, tetralogy, tetrad, quaternity, quadruplet, quadruple, quaternion, quaternary, quadrumvirate, quadrigeminal

Example sentences from the Web for quadrivium

British Dictionary definitions for quadrivium

quadrivium
/ (kwɒˈdrɪvɪəm) /

noun plural -ia (-ɪə)

(in medieval learning) the higher division of the seven liberal arts, consisting of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and musicCompare trivium

Word Origin for quadrivium

from Medieval Latin, from Latin: crossroads, meeting of four ways, from quadri- + via way
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012