Tri Words: “triact” to “tricycle”,
Part 1 of 4
Words that include: tri- (Greek > Latin: three, thrice, threefold; a number used as a prefix)
triact, triactinal, triactine:
Having three rays; said of a sponge-spicule.
triad:
1. A group or set of three (persons, things, words, attributes, etc.); three collectively or in connexion.
2. Applied to the Trinity.
3. A group of three associated or correlated deities, beings, or powers.
4. A set of three things; especially, in geometry, of three points.
5. A union or conjunction of three; a group or class of three closely associated persons or things.
triadelphous:
In biology, a reference to stamens that are united by their filaments into three bundles; of a plant having the stamens so united.
triage [tree AHZH]:
This word is here only because it should be known that it now has nothing to do with tri, “three”.
This word refers to an act of sorting according to kind and quality. It is from Old French trier, to pick, sift, or cull. In World War I, triage was adopted as a military term for the sorting of wounded soldiers into three groups according to the urgency of their injuries on the basis of urgency, chance for survival, etc. By 1974, this usage was extended to refer to any system of allocating limited resources according to urgency or expediency, as in the distribution of food during a famine.
Triage now refers to the screening and classification of wounded, sick, or injured patients during war or another disaster to determine priority needs and thereby ensure the most efficient use of medical and surgical manpower, equipment, and facilities. “Triage” was often heard on the radio during the first few days following the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
trialogue:
A colloquy (a conversation, especially a formal one) among three people.
triandrous:
Having three stamens.
triangle:
1. A figure (usually, a plane rectilineal figure) having three angles and three sides.
2. A group or set of three, a triad; especially, a love-relationship in which one member of a married couple is involved with a third party; frequently referred to as the eternal triangle.
3. Something having the form of a triangle; any three-cornered body, object, or space.
triangularis:
A muscle of the chin.
Triangulum:
An ancient constellation shaped like an equilateral triangle.
triannual:
1. Occurring every three years; lasting for three years; equal to triennial.
2. Occurring three times a year.
trianthous:
Having three flowers.
triapsidal:
Having three apses, as most Greek churches.
triarch:
The ruler of one of three divisions of a country or territory.
triarchy:
1. The government or jurisdiction of a triarch; one of three divisions of a country ruled by triarchs.
2. Government by three rulers or powers jointly; three persons associated in government, a triumvirate.
3. A group of three districts or divisions of a country each under its own ruler.
Triassic:
In geology, the lowest of three major divisions of fossiliferous rocks which together make up the Mesozoic or Secondary series, namely: Triassic; Jurassic; and Cretaceous. It lies above the Permian and below the Jurassic.
triathlon:
1. An athletic or sporting contest composed of three different events.
2. An intense endurance competition in which all participants must complete an ocean swim, a bicycle ride, and a long-distance run.
tribrachia:
The condition of having three arms.
tribrachial:
A figure or utensil with three arms, especially a three-branched flint.
tribrachius:
A deformed fetus, usually conjoined twins, having three arms.
tribrachteatel:
In botany, having three bracts.
tricameral:
A reference to a legislature composed of three chambers.
tricentennial:
A space of a hundred years.
triceps:
1. Three-headed; specifically, of a muscle having three heads or points of origin.
2. A triceps muscle; specifically, that of the thigh and of the upper arm.
triceratops:
A genus of gigantic predentate dinosaurs of the family Ceratopsidae, having a strong nasal horn, besides two large pointed horns above the eyes; found in the Laramie beds of the United States.
tricerion:
A candlestick with three lights, symbolizing the Trinity and used by Greek bishops blessing people.
trichotomy:
Division into three parts, especially (in theology) the division of human nature into body (soma), soul (psyche), and spirit (pneuma).
trichroism:
The property of some crystals of exhibiting different colors in three different directions when viewed by transmitted light.
trichromatic:
Characterized by three colors, especially having the three fundamental color sensation of red, green, and violet of the normal eye.
trichromatopsia:
The ability to see three primary colors.
tricrotic:
Having three waves or elevations to one beat of the pulse.
tricrotism:
The condition of having three waves, a reference to the pulse.
triclinium:
In ancient Rome, a diningroom with three couches, one at each of three sides of a rectangular table, the fourth side left open for access by servnts.
tricolor:
The red, white, and blue flag of France, representing the white of the Bourbons, and the blue and red of the city of Paris; adopted by Louis XVI at the Hotel de Ville, July 17, 1789, as the national symbol of the country.
tricorn:
1. Having three horns or horn-like parts.
2. A hat with three points formed by turning the brim upward to the crown on three sides.
tricuspid:
An organ or a part, especially a tooth, having three cusps (points).
tricycle:
1. A velocipede with three wheels, one in the front and two in the rear.
2. A vehicle, used especially now by small children, that has three wheels, one at the front and two a the back, and is usually propelled by pedals.