quadrivium
[ kwo-driv-ee-uh m ]
/ kwɒˈdrɪv i əm /
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
Nearby words
quadrisyllable, quadrivalent, quadrivalently, quadrivia, quadrivial, quadrivium, quadrominium, quadroon, quadrophonics, quadru-, quadrumane
Compare trivium.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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
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Word Origin and History for quadrivium
quadrivium
"arithmetic, music, geometry, astronomy," 1804 (see liberal arts), from Latin quadrivium, which meant "place where four roads meet, crossroads," from quadri- "four" (see quadri-) + via "way, road, channel, course" (see via). The adjective quadrivial is attested from late 15c. in English with the sense "having four roads."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper