English
Etymology
From Latin trivia, plural of trivium (“place where three roads meet”). The term came to be used for any public place, and then for anything commonplace. Furthermore, because the beginners' course at university was called trivium, the word came to be used only for anything basic, simple and trivial.
Pronunciation
- (Canada, UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈtɹɪvi.ə/
- Rhymes: -ɪviə
Noun
trivia (countable and uncountable, plural trivia or trivias)
- Insignificant trifles of little importance, especially items of unimportant information; froth.
- These trivia take up too much of the day.
- This trivia takes up too much of the day.
1943 December, Herbert L. Bregstein, “The Armored Force and the Camera”, in Popular Photography, volume 13, number 6, page 77:There is the story of the famous Hollywood glamour photographer who cooled his heels around Washington for three months while waiting for one of our leading commanders, and then was granted exactly 15 minutes for the sitting. […] Our military leaders simply don't have time for such trivia. Thank God!
- A quiz game that involves obscure facts.
I joined the trivia club this semester!
Usage notes
- Formerly, as a word derived from a Latin plural, trivia required a plural verb, as in the first usage example above. Most modern authorities accept a singular verb, and this may be the preferred usage in the US. The "game" sense is always regarded as a singular noun.
Derived terms
Translations
insignificant trifles of little importance
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 冷知識 / 冷知识 (zh) (lěngzhīshí, lěngzhīshì)
- Dutch: trivia (nl)
- French: bagatelles (fr) f pl, fadaises (fr) f pl
- German: Trivia (de) n pl, Varia (de) n pl, Nichtigkeiten (de) f pl, Kleinigkeiten (de) f pl, Minuzien pl (obsolete)
- Hungarian: érdekesség (hu)
- Japanese: 豆知識 (ja) (まめちしき, mamechishiki)
- Kazakh: мелочи (meloçi)
- Kyrgyz: мелочи (meloci)
- Latvian: nieki m pl, sīkumi m pl
- Maori: kūrapa, kāmuimui
- Polish: ciekawostka (pl) f
- Russian: ме́лочи (ru) f pl (méloči), пустяки́ (ru) m pl (pustjakí)
- Swedish: bagateller (sv) c pl, småsaker (sv) c pl, struntsaker (sv) c pl
- Turkish: ıvır zıvır (tr)
- Ukrainian: дрібни́ці (dribnýci), ціка́винки (cikávynky)
- Vietnamese: thông tin bên lề
- Yiddish: טריוויע pl (trivye), נישטיקייטן pl (nishtikeytn)
|
Noun
trivia
- plural of trivium
Finnish
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin trivia.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈtriʋiɑ/, [ˈt̪riʋiɑ̝]
- Rhymes: -iʋiɑ
- Syllabification(key): tri‧vi‧a
- Hyphenation(key): tri‧via
Noun
trivia
- trivia
Declension
| Inflection of trivia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
|
| nominative
|
trivia
|
triviat
|
| genitive
|
trivian
|
trivioiden
trivioitten
|
| partitive
|
triviaa
|
trivioita
|
| illative
|
triviaan
|
trivioihin
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
trivia
|
triviat
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
trivia
|
triviat
|
| gen.
|
trivian
|
| genitive
|
trivian
|
trivioiden
trivioitten
triviain rare
|
| partitive
|
triviaa
|
trivioita
|
| inessive
|
triviassa
|
trivioissa
|
| elative
|
triviasta
|
trivioista
|
| illative
|
triviaan
|
trivioihin
|
| adessive
|
trivialla
|
trivioilla
|
| ablative
|
trivialta
|
trivioilta
|
| allative
|
trivialle
|
trivioille
|
| essive
|
triviana
|
trivioina
|
| translative
|
triviaksi
|
trivioiksi
|
| abessive
|
triviatta
|
trivioitta
|
| instructive
|
—
|
trivioin
|
| comitative
|
See the possessive forms below.
|
| first-person singular possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
triviani
|
triviani
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
triviani
|
triviani
|
| gen.
|
triviani
|
| genitive
|
triviani
|
trivioideni
trivioitteni
triviaini rare
|
| partitive
|
triviaani
|
trivioitani
|
| inessive
|
triviassani
|
trivioissani
|
| elative
|
triviastani
|
trivioistani
|
| illative
|
triviaani
|
trivioihini
|
| adessive
|
triviallani
|
trivioillani
|
| ablative
|
trivialtani
|
trivioiltani
|
| allative
|
trivialleni
|
trivioilleni
|
| essive
|
trivianani
|
trivioinani
|
| translative
|
triviakseni
|
trivioikseni
|
| abessive
|
triviattani
|
trivioittani
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
trivioineni
|
| second-person singular possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
triviasi
|
triviasi
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
triviasi
|
triviasi
|
| gen.
|
triviasi
|
| genitive
|
triviasi
|
trivioidesi
trivioittesi
triviaisi rare
|
| partitive
|
triviaasi
|
trivioitasi
|
| inessive
|
triviassasi
|
trivioissasi
|
| elative
|
triviastasi
|
trivioistasi
|
| illative
|
triviaasi
|
trivioihisi
|
| adessive
|
triviallasi
|
trivioillasi
|
| ablative
|
trivialtasi
|
trivioiltasi
|
| allative
|
triviallesi
|
trivioillesi
|
| essive
|
trivianasi
|
trivioinasi
|
| translative
|
triviaksesi
|
trivioiksesi
|
| abessive
|
triviattasi
|
trivioittasi
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
trivioinesi
|
| first-person plural possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
triviamme
|
triviamme
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
triviamme
|
triviamme
|
| gen.
|
triviamme
|
| genitive
|
triviamme
|
trivioidemme
trivioittemme
triviaimme rare
|
| partitive
|
triviaamme
|
trivioitamme
|
| inessive
|
triviassamme
|
trivioissamme
|
| elative
|
triviastamme
|
trivioistamme
|
| illative
|
triviaamme
|
trivioihimme
|
| adessive
|
triviallamme
|
trivioillamme
|
| ablative
|
trivialtamme
|
trivioiltamme
|
| allative
|
triviallemme
|
trivioillemme
|
| essive
|
trivianamme
|
trivioinamme
|
| translative
|
triviaksemme
|
trivioiksemme
|
| abessive
|
triviattamme
|
trivioittamme
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
trivioinemme
|
| second-person plural possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
trivianne
|
trivianne
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
trivianne
|
trivianne
|
| gen.
|
trivianne
|
| genitive
|
trivianne
|
trivioidenne
trivioittenne
triviainne rare
|
| partitive
|
triviaanne
|
trivioitanne
|
| inessive
|
triviassanne
|
trivioissanne
|
| elative
|
triviastanne
|
trivioistanne
|
| illative
|
triviaanne
|
trivioihinne
|
| adessive
|
triviallanne
|
trivioillanne
|
| ablative
|
trivialtanne
|
trivioiltanne
|
| allative
|
triviallenne
|
trivioillenne
|
| essive
|
triviananne
|
trivioinanne
|
| translative
|
triviaksenne
|
trivioiksenne
|
| abessive
|
triviattanne
|
trivioittanne
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
trivioinenne
|
| third-person possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
triviansa
|
triviansa
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
triviansa
|
triviansa
|
| gen.
|
triviansa
|
| genitive
|
triviansa
|
trivioidensa
trivioittensa
triviainsa rare
|
| partitive
|
triviaansa
|
trivioitaan
trivioitansa
|
| inessive
|
triviassaan
triviassansa
|
trivioissaan
trivioissansa
|
| elative
|
triviastaan
triviastansa
|
trivioistaan
trivioistansa
|
| illative
|
triviaansa
|
trivioihinsa
|
| adessive
|
triviallaan
triviallansa
|
trivioillaan
trivioillansa
|
| ablative
|
trivialtaan
trivialtansa
|
trivioiltaan
trivioiltansa
|
| allative
|
trivialleen
triviallensa
|
trivioilleen
trivioillensa
|
| essive
|
trivianaan
trivianansa
|
trivioinaan
trivioinansa
|
| translative
|
triviakseen
triviaksensa
|
trivioikseen
trivioiksensa
|
| abessive
|
triviattaan
triviattansa
|
trivioittaan
trivioittansa
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
trivioineen
trivioinensa
|
|
Derived terms
Further reading
Latin
Noun
trivia
- nominative/accusative/vocative plural of trivium
Adjective
trivia
- inflection of trivius:
- nominative/vocative feminine singular
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural
Adjective
triviā
- ablative feminine singular of trivius
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈtɾibja/ [ˈt̪ɾi.β̞ja]
- Rhymes: -ibja
- Syllabification: tri‧via
Noun
trivia f (plural trivias)
- trivia