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You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Word “Trivia” For Useless Information Originate and What Does it Mean?

How Did the Word “Trivia” For Useless Information Originate and What Does it Mean?

May 2, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Romans were well-known for their road building.

From their Latin phrase “noun trivium”, meaning a place where three roads meet, there derived a word for insignificant information.

At a three-road intersection, traffic would slow and congest, offering a great chance for light gossip and meaningless conversation.

So from tri, meaning “three,” and via, meaning “roadway,” the Romans gave us trivia, a word for useless information.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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