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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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

Read more on Salon

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And that’s why, if Democrats nominate her again, she’ll probably go down in history as an answer to a trivia question.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• memorabilia 
• minutiae