Meanings
plural quadriviums · plural quadrivia
- historicaleducationThe higher division of the seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages, composed of geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music.
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 series1 more example
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., →OCLCSynonyms: quadrium
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe higher division of the seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages, composed of geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music.
Origin
- Latinquattuor“four”
- Medieval Latinquadrivium“the four mathematical studies”
- Englishquadrivium
From Medieval Latin quadrivium (“the four mathematical studies”), from Latin quattuor (“four”) + via (“road”).
More words from Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French quadrivium
- quadriviumhigher division of the seven liberal arts
German Quadrivium
- Quadriviumhigher division of the seven liberal arts
Greek τετρακτύς
- τετρακτύς (tetraktýs)higher division of the seven liberal arts
Italian quadrivio
- quadriviohigher division of the seven liberal arts
Latin quadrivium
- quadriviumhigher division of the seven liberal arts
Polish quadrivium, kwadrywium
- quadriviumhigher division of the seven liberal arts
- kwadrywiumhigher division of the seven liberal arts
Romanian cvadrivium, quadrivium
- cvadriviumhigher division of the seven liberal arts
- quadriviumhigher division of the seven liberal arts
Cite this entry
quadrivium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quadrivium
“quadrivium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quadrivium. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quadrivium,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quadrivium.
Source: quadrivium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.