Term

Trivium

The three elementary disciplines of the medieval seven liberal arts: grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic.

Filed underChurch HistoryPhilosophy

Definition

The medieval name for the three elementary disciplines of the seven liberal art. Consisted of grammar, which include the study of classical literature; rhetoric, which also included logic; and dialectic, or philosophy.

Sources

  1. 1.Jerald C. Brauer and B. A. Gerrish, ed. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971). 829Original citation: Brauer, Jerald C., and B. A. Gerrish, eds. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971, 829.

Last revised August 14, 2026