trivia

¹ American  

[triv-ee-uh] / ˈtrɪv i ə /

plural noun

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

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Trivia ² American  

[triv-ee-uh] / ˈtrɪv i ə /

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.

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trivia British  

/ ˈtrɪvɪə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of trivia¹

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

Origin of Trivia¹

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”

Example Sentences

In the tight-knit fan community, our main currency was the trading of music trivia, bits of band lore and unreleased songs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last year, the production began using geolocation icons to show the folks at home where a nominee was seated in the ballroom while pop-up banners shared trivia about presenters and winners.

From Salon

She liked taking glamor shots of the latte art she managed at the concession stand, and posting film trivia had been fun, and she’d gotten a bit of engagement.

From Literature

That’s little more than a trivia answer, though, as the two teams are entirely different now.

From Los Angeles Times

Following their conversation, audience members participated in a lively game of Jane Austen trivia, during which it became clear that all in the room had done their homework.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• memorabilia
• minutiae