tertiary

tertiary
/terr"shee er'ee, terr"sheuh ree/, adj., n., pl. tertiaries.
adj.
1. of the third order, rank, stage, formation, etc.; third.
2. Chem.
a. noting or containing a carbon atom united to three other carbon atoms.
b. formed by replacement of three atoms or groups.
3. (cap.) Geol. noting or pertaining to the period forming the earlier part of the Cenozoic Era, occurring from 65 million to 2 million years ago, characterized by the development and proliferation of mammals. See table under geologic time.
4. Ornith. tertial.
5. Eccles. noting or pertaining to a branch, or third order, of certain religious orders that consists of lay members living in community (regular tertiaries) or living in the world (secular tertiaries).
n.
6. (cap.) Geol. the Tertiary Period or System.
7. Ornith. a tertial feather.
8. (often cap.) Eccles. a member of a tertiary branch of a religious order.
[1540-50; < L tertiarius of third part or rank, equiv. to terti(us) THIRD + -arius -ARY]

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tertiary — Ter ti*a*ry, a. [L. tertiarius containing a third part, fr. tertius third: cf. F. tertiaire. See {Tierce}.] 1. Being of the third formation, order, or rank; third; as, a tertiary use of a word. Trench. [1913 Webster] 2. (Chem.) Possessing some… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tertiary — ter‧tia‧ry [ˈtɜːʆəri ǁ ˈtɜːrʆieri, ʆri] adjective [only before a noun] COMMERCE tertiary industries or companies are involved in providing services, rather than the production of raw material S (= materials used in manufacturing) or… …   Financial and business terms

  • tertiary — [tʉr′shē er΄ē, tʉr′shə rē] adj. [L tertiarius < tertius,THIRD] 1. of the third rank, order, formation, stage, etc.; third 2. Chem. a) third in order or type; involving the substitution of three atoms or radicals b) characterized by or… …   English World dictionary

  • Tertiary — Ter ti*a*ry, n.; pl. {Tertiaries}. 1. (R. C. Ch.) A member of the Third Order in any monastic system; as, the Franciscan tertiaries; the Dominican tertiaries; the Carmelite tertiaries. See {Third Order}, under {Third}. Addis & Arnold. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tertiary — ► ADJECTIVE 1) third in order or level. 2) chiefly Brit. (of education) at a level beyond that provided by schools. 3) (of medical treatment) provided at a specialist institution. 4) (Tertiary) Geology relating to the first period of the Cenozoic …   English terms dictionary

  • tertiary — 1650s, of the third order, rank, degree, etc., from L. tertiarius of or pertaining to a third, from tertius third, a third, from root of tres three (see THREE (Cf. three)). The geological sense (with capital T ) of era after the Mesozoic (which… …   Etymology dictionary

  • tertiary — A third mail sorting operation. (Compare with primary and secondary) …   Glossary of postal terms

  • Tertiary — The chuprichondira geological time interval covers roughly the time span between the demise of the non avian dinosaurs and beginning of the most recent Ice Age, approximately 65 million to 1.8 million years ago.At the beginning of the period,… …   Wikipedia

  • tertiary — ter·tia·ry tər shē .er ē, tər shə rē n, pl ries 1) TERTIARY COLOR 2) a lesion of tertiary syphilis tertiary adj 1) of third rank, importance, or value 2 a) involving or resulting from the substitution of three atoms or groups <a tertiary… …   Medical dictionary

  • tertiary — [[t]tɜ͟ː(r)ʃəri, AM ʃieri[/t]] 1) ADJ Tertiary means third in order, third in importance, or at a third stage of development. [FORMAL] He must have come to know those philosophers through secondary or tertiary sources. ...the complementary… …   English dictionary

  • tertiary — I. noun (plural ries) Date: circa 1550 1. [Medieval Latin tertiarius, from Latin, of a third] a member of a monastic third order especially of lay people 2. capitalized the Tertiary period or system of rocks II. adjective Etymology: Latin …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”