English
trivial
Trivial comes from Latin triviālis ‘appropriate to the street-corner, commonplace,…’, from trivium ‘place where three roads meet’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- ‘to pursue, be strong’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyh₁-‘to pursue, be strong’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wih₁eh₂-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiā‘road’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvia‘road’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrivius‘having three approaches’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrivium‘place where three roads meet’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtriviālis‘appropriate to the street-corner, commonplace, vulgar’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1521trivial
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyh₁-‘to pursue, be strong’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wih₁eh₂-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiā‘road’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvia‘road’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrivius‘having three approaches’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrivium‘place where three roads meet’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtriviālis‘appropriate to the street-corner, commonplace, vulgar’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1521trivial
Earliest quotation: c. 1521, John Skelton: “Tryuyals, & quatryuyals, ſo ſore now they appayre That…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- ‘to pursue, be strong’
violent, violation, inevitable, virtual, virtue, vengeance, violate, avenge, vis, virtuous, venison, wer, vindication, virtuoso, ochre, vim, violator, inviolable, virile, virility, virago, 56 more
through Latin via ‘road’
previous, obvious, via, voyage, convey, envoy, deviation, deviant, viaduct, obviate, 16 more
Today it means
adj Ignorable; of little significance or value.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- / trivial