subs. (Cambridge University).—Orig. the stool on which the champion of the University sat at the disputations held with the ‘Father’ in the Philosophy School on Ash Wednesday, at the admission of Bachelors of Arts to their degree; then it was transferred to the Bachelor himself; still later to the humorous, or, in some cases, scurrilous, speech with which ‘Mr. TRIPOS’ opened the proceedings, and to the verses of the Bachelors at the Acts, each sheet of verses being called a TRIPOS or TRIPOS-paper. The honours-lists were printed (about 1747–8) on the backs of these verses, and so TRIPOS came to mean an honour-list, and, last of all, the examination itself. Until the year 1824 there was only one TRIPOS, the Mathematical; and up to 1850 only those who had obtained honours in mathematics were admitted to the Classical examination. The degree was not given for that examination till a few years later. There are now nine TRIPOSES … founded in the following order: Mathematical, Classical, Moral Sciences, Natural Sciences, Theological, Law, History, Semitic and Indian Languages, with a Mediæval and Modern Languages TRIPOS from 1885.
