Defn: Threefold; triple; consisting of three; ternate. Tern flowers
(Bot.), flowers growing three and three together.
— Tern leaves (Bot.), leaves arranged in threes, or three by three,
or having three in each whorl or set.
— Tern peduncles (Bot.), three peduncles growing together from the
same axis.
— Tern schooner (Naut.), a three-masted schooner.
TERN
Tern, n. Etym: [F. terne. See Tern, a.]
Defn: That which consists of, or pertains to, three things or numbers together; especially, a prize in a lottery resulting from the favorable combination of three numbers in the drawing; also, the three numbers themselves. She'd win a tern in Thursday's lottery. Mrs. Browning.
TERNARY
Ter"na*ry, a. Etym: [L. ternarius, fr. terni. See Tern, a.]
1. Proceeding by threes; consisting of three; as, the ternary number was anciently esteemed a symbol of perfection, and held in great veneration.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Containing, or consisting of, three different parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are regarded as having different functions or relations in the molecule; thus, sodic hydroxide, NaOH, is a ternary compound.
TERNARY
Ter"na*ry, n.; pl. Ternaries (.
Defn: A ternion; the number three; three things taken together; a
triad.
Some in ternaries, some in pairs, and some single. Holder.
TERNATE Ter"nate, a. Etym: [NL. ternatus, fr. L. terni three each. See Tern, a.]