[turn] 
| any of numerous aquatic birds of the subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae, related to the gulls but usually having a more slender body and bill, smaller feet, a long, deeply forked tail, and a more graceful flight, esp. those of the genus Sterna, as S. hirundo (common tern), of Eurasia and America, having white, black, and gray plumage. |
[turn] | 1. | a set of three. |
| 2. | three winning numbers drawn together in a lottery. |
| 3. | a prize won by drawing these. |
| tern 1 (tûrn) n. Any of various sea birds of the genus Sterna and related genera, related to and resembling the gulls but characteristically smaller and having a forked tail. [Of Scandinavian origin.] |
| tern 2 (tûrn) n.
[Middle English terne, from Old French, from ternes, from Latin ternās, accusative pl. of ternī, three each, from ter, thrice; see trei- in Indo-European roots.] |
