Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trivia” come from?

Trivia comes from Latin trivia, the plural of trivium, from Latin via meaning "road," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-.

trivia (English): insignificant trifles of little importance,...

Definitions

  1. insignificant trifles of little importance,...

Ancestry of “trivia”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintriviuma crossroads or fork where three roads meet;...
2Latintriviusof or belonging to crossroad temples
3Latintri-three, tri-
4Latintrēs—
5Proto-Italictrēsthree
6Proto-Indo-European*tréyes—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes →