Something very small in importance or value; not serious or worth much attention.
From the noun 'trifle,' which came from Old French 'trufle' meaning 'mockery' or 'deceit,' possibly from a Scandinavian source. The verb 'to trifle' meant to joke or act foolishly, and 'trifling' developed as an adjective meaning 'of little value' in the 1500s.
A 'trifle' is also a delicious British dessert made of cake, jam, and cream—so the word went from meaning something fake and worthless to describing a light, fluffy dessert, which is a pretty trifling change in meaning!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.