*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of trite

From Latin trītus (“worn out”), perfect passive participle of terō (“to wear away, wear out”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed. · So well established as to be beyond debate: trite law.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin trītus (“worn out”), perfect passive participle of terō (“to wear away, wear out”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*terh₁-ine-pro
  • Unspecified derivation mentiontrītusla · worn out
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*terh₁-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":uder",
        "3": "la:trītus"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "trītus",
        "t": "worn out"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin trītus (“worn out”)"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":uder",
        "3": "la:trītus"
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  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "trītus",
      "tritus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "terō",
      "tero#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed.",
        "So well established as to be beyond debate: trite law."
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

In Ancient Greek musical theory, the lower-pitched of the two movable notes in the farther tetrachord on a lyre, pitched lower than the paranete and higher than the paramese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Unadapted borrowing from Latin tritē, from Ancient Greek τρίτη (trítē, literally “third [string]”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "tritē"
      },
      "expansion": "Unadapted borrowing from Latin tritē"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "τρίτη",
        "lit": "third [string]"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek τρίτη (trítē, literally “third [string]”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "trite#Latin"
    ],
    [
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      "τρίτη#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for trite →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dHJpdGU