trivia

Where does the word "trivia" come from? It comes from Latin trivium, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Trivia’s story begins in Latin: trivium meant “a place where three roads meet.” Literally three roads, a crossroads where casual, common gossip was exchanged. It reached English by 1900s as trivia. Settled as the word for unimportant, casual facts or details. Today, trivia means unimportant facts or details, often used for quiz games.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient trivium "a place where three roads meet", literally three roads, a crossroads where casual, common gossip was exchanged.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s trivia "unimportant facts or details", settled as the word for unimportant, casual facts or details.