trivial: [15] Medieval educationists recognized seven liberal arts: the lower three, grammar, logic, and rhetoric, were known as the trivium, and the upper four, arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and music, were known as the quadrivium. The notion of ‘less important subjects’ led in the 16th century to the use of the derived adjective trivial for ‘commonplace, of little importance’. Latin trivium itself was a compound noun formed from the prefix tri- ‘three’ and via ‘way, road’, and originally meant ‘place where three roads meet’. => three, via
trivial (adj.)
"ordinary" (1580s); "insignificant, trifling" (1590s), from Latin trivialis "common, commonplace, vulgar," literally "of or belonging to the crossroads," from trivium "place where three roads meet," in transferred use, "an open place, a public place," from tri- "three" (see three) + via "road" (see via). The sense connection is "public," hence "common, commonplace."
The earliest use of the word in English was early 15c., a separate borrowing in the academic sense "of the trivium" (the first three liberal arts -- grammar, rhetoric, and logic); from Medieval Latin use of trivialis in the sense "of the first three liberal arts," from trivium, neuter of the Latin adjective trivius "of three roads, of the crossroads." Related: Trivially. For sense evolution to "pertaining to useless information," see trivia.
实用例句
1. This may sound trivial, but I assure you it is quite important!
这听上去也许微不足道，但是，相信我，它十分重要！
来自柯林斯例句
2. My mind attempted to calm itself by fastening on this trivial detail.
我尝试将注意力集中在这个小细节上以让自己平静下来。
来自柯林斯例句
3. I know it sounds trivial , but I'm worried about it.
我知道这事听起来微不足道，但我还是放心不下。
来自《权威词典》
4. There are a few trivial slips in this lesson.
在这篇课文中有几个小错误.
来自《简明英汉词典》
5. She works herself up about the most trivial things.
