Administrivia

Origin

administrativetrivia; 1930s US.

Full definition of administrivia

Noun

1. Administrative details that must be dealt with in order to do more interesting work.Administrivia take up two hours of every day.Administrivia takes up two hours of every day.

Usage notes

Grammatical aspects of the usage of administrivia derive from those that apply to trivia. Formerly trivia, as a derivative of a Latin plural, required a plural verb, as in the first usage example above. Most modern authorities accept the usage in the second usage example. In the US the second usage may be preferred. Compare other Latin plurals such as data.

Synonyms

• administrativia
• paperwork
• red tape