WORD OF THE WEEK: Trivia

Summary: Just for fun, this week's WOW Word of the Week contains a little trivia quiz—about the word trivia!

Can you answer this trivia question: What is the origin of the word trivia?

According to my good online friend Merriam-Webster, the root words are Latin: tri (for three) and vium (for road). The original combination, trivialis, came to refer to inconsequential things. But why?

Romans commonly believed—again, according to our researching friends at the e-dictionary—that when three roads intersected, the walkers who used them could easily stop to greet each other and exchange brief pleasantries about where they were headed. Because these people were strangers, they would keep their topics light, or trivial.

In our own, American trivial pursuits (so to speak), we've come to use the word trivia itself as referring to the knowledge of somewhat meaningless facts, or those facts themselves.

Personally, I've been known to my friends as an expert it word trivia. No surprise there! In my younger years, I was even more of a music trivia ace, especially in the classic rock and top 40 genres. What are you an expert in?

TRIVIA (TRIH - vee - YUH) – unimportant matters; insignificant facts or details; a quizzing game involving obscure facts.

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