definitions

quadrivium

[ kwo-driv-ee-uh m ]
/ kwɒˈdrɪv i əm /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

quadrireme, quadrisect, quadrisyllable, quadrivalent, quadrivial, quadrivium, quadrominium, quadroon, quadrophonics, quadru-, quadrumane
Compare trivium.

Origin of quadrivium

1795–1805; < Late Latin, special use of Latin quadrivium place where four ways meet; see quadri-, via, -ium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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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