quadrivium en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /kwɑˈdɹɪvi.əm/ (General-American)
- kwä-drĭv'ē-əm (General-American)
- /kwɒˈdɹɪvɪ.əm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- kwŏ-drĭv'ē-əm (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Medieval Latin quadrivium (“the four mathematical studies”), from Latin quattuor (“four”) + via (“road”).
Meanings
-
(historical) The higher division of the seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages, composed of geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music.
The riddle of existence is the college curriculum that was laid before the Pharaohs, that was taught in the groves by Plato, that formed the trivium and quadrivium, and is to-day laid before the freedmen’s sons by Atlanta University.
1903 April 18, W[illiam] E[dward] Burghardt Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., →OCLC:As to the nature of his studies, there can be no doubt that he [Dante] went through the trivium (grammar, dialectic, rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy) of the then ordinary university course.
1876, James Russell Lowell, Among My Books, Second series:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| quadriviums | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| quadrivia | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Synonyms
Translations (9)
la quadrivium (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · fr quadrivium (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · pl quadrivium (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · ro quadrivium (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · it quadrivio (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · el τετρακτύς (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · ro cvadrivium (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · de Quadrivium (higher division of the seven liberal arts) · pl kwadrywium (higher division of the seven liberal arts)