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Webster 1913 Edition

Trifle

Tri′fle

,
Noun.
[OE.
trifle
,
trufle
, OF.
trufle
mockery, raillery, trifle, probably the same word as F.
truffe
truffle, the word being applied to any small or worthless object. See
Truffle
.]
1.
A thing of very little value or importance; a paltry, or trivial, affair.
With such poor
trifles
playing.
Drayton.
Trifles
light as air
Are to the jealous confirmation strong
As proofs of holy writ.
Shakespeare
Small sands the mountain, moments make year,
And
frifles
life.
Young.
2.
A dish composed of sweetmeats, fruits, cake, wine, etc., with syllabub poured over it.

Tri′fle

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Trifled
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Trifling
.]
[OE.
trifelen
,
truflen
. See
Trifle
,
Noun.
]
To act or talk without seriousness, gravity, weight, or dignity; to act or talk with levity; to indulge in light or trivial amusements.
They
trifle
, and they beat the air about nothing which toucheth us.
Hooker.
To trifle with
,
to play the fool with; to treat without respect or seriousness; to mock; as, to trifle with one’s feelings, or with sacred things.

Tri′fle

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To make of no importance; to treat as a trifle.
[Obs.]
Shak.
2.
To spend in vanity; to fritter away; to waste;
as, to
trifle
away money
.
“We trifle time.”
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Trifle

TRI'FLE

,
Noun.
A thing of very little value or importance; a word applicable to any thing and every thing of this character.
With such poor trifles playing.
Moments make the year, and trifles, life.
Trifles
Are to the jealous confirmations strong.

TRI'FLE

,
Verb.
I.
To act or talk without seriousness, gravity, weight or dignity; to act or talk with levity.
They trifle, and they beat the air about nothing which toucheth us.
1.
To indulge in light amusements.
To trifle with, to mock; to play the fool with; to treat without respect or seriousness.
To trifle with, to spend in vanity; to waste.
To trifle away, to no good purpose; as, to trifle with time, or to trifle away time; to trifle with advantages.

TRI'FLE

,
Verb.
T.
To make of no importance. [Not in use.]

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