- To start off class, I thought we would go over some administrivia.
administrivia
noun; compounding
a list of upcoming events along with other little things. Administrivia is a result of both clipping and compounding. Adminis- is clipped from administration, and trivia is just compounded onto the clipping. Since Comedy and Its Cultural Context is by title supposed to stay a light and humorous class, Professor Pound probably did not want to say the word administrative things because it's usually connected with punishment, but the compounding of the root trivia gives the word a lighter feel. Trivia refers things of little consequence.
Etymology : Latin administration + Latin trivia
Source : Comedy and Its Cultural Context Professor: Chris Pound
Last modified: 10 June 2008