trivium

triv·i·um

 (trĭv′ē-əm)

n. pl. triv·i·a (-ē-ə)

The lower division of the seven liberal arts in medieval schools, consisting of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

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[Medieval Latin, from Latin, crossroads : tri-, tri- + via, road; see wegh- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

trivium

(ˈtrɪvɪəm)

n, pl -ia (-ɪə)

(Historical Terms) (in medieval learning) the lower division of the seven liberal arts, consisting of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Compare quadrivium

[C19: from Medieval Latin, from Latin: crossroads; see trivial]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

triv•i•um

(ˈtrɪv i əm)

n.

(during the Middle Ages) the lower division of the seven liberal arts, comprising grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Compare quadrivium.

[1795–1805; < Medieval Latin; Latin: place where three roads meet]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

trivium

in the Middle Ages, one of the two divisions of the seven liberal arts, comprising logic, grammar, and rhetoric. See also quadrivium.

See also: Knowledge, Learning

-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

trivium - (Middle Ages) an introductory curriculum at a medieval university involving grammar and logic and rhetoric; considered to be a triple way to eloquence arts, humanistic discipline, humanities, liberal arts - studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills); "the college of arts and sciences" Dark Ages, Middle Ages - the period of history between classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance

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