Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - trifle

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English trufle, ~, from Anglo-French trufle, triffle fraud, trick, nonsense  Date: 14th century  1. something of little value, substance, or importance  2. a dessert typically consisting of plain or sponge cake often soaked with wine or spirits (as brandy or rum) and topped with layers of preserves, custard, and cream  II. verb  (~d; trifling)  Etymology: Middle English truflen, ~n, from Anglo-French trufler to trick, talk nonsense  Date: 14th century  intransitive verb  1.  a. to talk in a jesting or mocking manner or with intent to delude or mislead  b. to treat someone or something as unimportant  2. to handle something idly  transitive verb to spend or waste in trifling or on ~s  • ~r noun Synonyms:  ~, toy, dally, flirt, coquet mean to deal with or act toward without serious purpose. ~ may imply playfulness, unconcern, indulgent contempt to ~ with a lover's feelings. toy implies acting without full attention or serious exertion of one's powers a political novice toying with great issues. dally suggests indulging in thoughts or plans merely as an amusement dallying with the idea of building a boat someday. flirt implies an interest or attention that soon passes to another object flirted with one fashionable ism after another. coquet implies attracting interest or admiration without serious intention companies that coquet with environmentalism solely for public relations.