trivium

[ triv-ee-uhm ]

See synonyms for trivium on Thesaurus.com

noun

(during the Middle Ages) the lower division of the seven liberal arts, comprising grammar, rhetoric, and logic.

Origin of trivium

1795–1805; <Medieval Latin, special use of Latin trivium public place, literally, place where three roads meet. See trivial

Compare quadrivium.

Words Nearby trivium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trivium in a sentence

Just about everyone has played trivia at some point in life.
Meet The Husband And Wife Duo Who Created This Family Game Now Available In Target | Kimberly Wilson | August 27, 2021 | Essence.com
She sprinkles in bits of trivia about the Arctic’s long days as an electronic track by Kina Beats plays in the background.
The TikTok Star Living in the Arctic Circle | Anna Deen | June 3, 2021 | Outside Online
Starting with Week 739 in 2007, it lists some 20 contests looking for fake trivia on movies, politicians, medicine, cars, fashion, animals et cetera et cetera et cetera.
Style Conversational Week 1438: The old college try | Pat Myers | May 27, 2021 | Washington Post
Instead, Spotify here runs the “Behind the Lyrics” feature provided in partnership with Genius, which offers a combination of lyrics and trivia about the song being played.
Spotify confirms it’s (finally) testing a lyrics feature in the U.S. | Sarah Perez | February 9, 2021 | TechCrunch
In a world full of uncertainty and chaos, there is calm in simple trivia and facts.
Photos: Remembering Alex Trebek as his last episode of ‘Jeopardy!’ airs | Armin Harris | January 8, 2021 | Fortune

These subjects were the trivium, and the more advanced Quadrivium.
Education in England in the Middle Ages | Albert William Parry
The trivium was the real basis of the secular education of the period.
Education in England in the Middle Ages | Albert William Parry
The trivium was the most popular course; such knowledge was considered an absolute necessity for any one making claim to culture.
History of Education | Levi Seeley
After completing the trivium, those who wished for higher culture studied the quadrivium.
History of Education | Levi Seeley
Among the old Romans, a trivium meant a place where three ways met, and a quadrivium where four, or what we now call a cross-road.
The Symbolism of Freemasonry | Albert G. Mackey

British Dictionary definitions for trivium

trivium

/ (ˈtrɪvɪəm) /

nounplural -ia (-ɪə)

(in medieval learning) the lower division of the seven liberal arts, consisting of grammar, rhetoric, and logic: Compare quadrivium

Origin of trivium

C19: from Medieval Latin, from Latin: crossroads; see trivial

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

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