Origin and history of trifler

c. 1200, trufle "false or idle tale to deceive or amuse, nonsense, balderdash," hence "playful activity, diversion" (c. 1300), "matter of little importance" (mid-14c.); from Old French trufle "mockery," a diminutive or parallel form of truffe "deception," itself a word of uncertain origin. Compare Italian truffa.

On one old supposition a transposed use of truffle, if truffles were regarded as small and worthless. By late 14c. as "a toy, trinket, knick-knack;" c. 1400 as "seductive or showy object without value;" 1570s as "light or trivial literary work." As a type of pudding, 1590s (where it was considered roughly synonymous with fool.)

Middle English also had trufluous "inconsequential," truflerie (n.).

also -art, from Old French -ard, -art, from German -hard, -hart "hardy," forming the second element in many personal names, often used as an intensifier, but in Middle High German and Dutch used as a pejorative element in common nouns, and thus passing into Middle English in bastard, coward, blaffard ("one who stammers"), tailard "one who has a tail" (a term of abuse), etc.

It thus became a living element in English, as in buzzard, drunkard. The German element is from Proto-Germanic *-hart/*-hard "bold, hardy" (from PIE root *kar- "hard").