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tertiary

[tur-shee-er-ee, tur-shuh-ree]

Origin

adjective

of the third order, rank, stage, formation, etc.; third.

Chemistry.

noting or containing a carbon atom united to three other carbon atoms.

formed by replacement of three atoms or groups.

(initial capital letter) Geology. 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.

Ornithology. tertial.

Ecclesiastical. 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).

noun

(initial capital letter) Geology. the Tertiary Period or System.

Ornithology. a tertial feather.

(often initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. a member of a tertiary branch of a religious order.

tertiary color.

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Tertiary is always a great word to know.

So is elective. Does it mean:

to remove impurities from a gas by chemical means, as sulfur dioxide from smokestack gas or carbon dioxide from exhaled air in life-support packs

selecting for combination or action; tending to combine with certain substances in preference to others, such as elective attraction

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Origin:
1540–50; < Latin tertiārius of third part or rank, equivalent to terti(us) third + -ārius -ary

Related forms

post-Ter·ti·ar·y, adjective

pre-Ter·ti·ar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To tertiary

Collins

World English Dictionary

tertiary (ˈtɜːʃərɪ)

—*adj*
1.	third in degree, order, etc
2.	(of education) taking place after secondary school, such as at university, college, etc
3.	primary Compare secondary (of an industry) involving services as opposed to extraction or manufacture, such as transport, finance, etc
4.	RC Church of or relating to a Third Order
5.	chem
	a. (of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to three other groups
	b. (of an amine) having three organic groups attached to a nitrogen atom
	c. (of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of all its acidic hydrogen atoms with metal atoms or electropositive groups
6.	rare ornithol Also called: tertial of, relating to, or designating any of the small flight feathers attached to the part of the humerus nearest to the body

—n , -tiaries
7.	rare ornithol Also called: tertial any of the tertiary feathers
8.	RC Church a member of a Third Order

[C16: from Latin tertiārius containing one third, from tertius third]

Tertiary (ˈtɜːʃərɪ)

—*adj*
1.	of, denoting, or formed in the first period of the Cenozoic era, which lasted for 63 million years, during which mammals became dominant

—n
2.	the Tertiary the Tertiary period or rock system, divided into Palaeocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene epochs or series

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

tertiary

1656, "of the third order, rank, degree, etc.," from L. tertiarius "of or pertaining to a third," from tertius "third." The geological sense (with capital T-) of "era after the Mesozoic" (which formerly was called the Secondary) is attested from 1794, after It. terziari, used in this sense 1760 by It.

EXPAND

geologist Giovanni Arduino (1714-1795).

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

tertiary ter·ti·ar·y (tûr'shē-ěr'ē)
adj.

Third in place, order, degree, or rank.
Of or relating to salts of acids containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms.
Of or relating to organic compounds in which a group is bound to three nonelementary radicals.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

tertiary

  (tûr'shē-ěr'ē) Pronunciation Key
Noun   Tertiary. The first period of the Cenozoic Era, from about 65 to 2 million years ago. During this time the continents took on their present form, and the climate changed from being warmer and wetter, in the early part of the period, to being drier and cooler in the later part. Mammals replaced dinosaurs as the dominant form of terrestrial animal life, and many modern types of flowering plants, insects, mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds appeared. The Tertiary is subdivided into the Paleogene and the Neogene, although these terms are not as widely used as are the names of the epochs that constitute them. See Chart at geologic time.

Adjective

1. Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to three other carbon atoms in a molecule.
2. Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a tertiary carbon.
Relating to an advanced level of Medical care, usually provided by subspecialists after the delivery of primary medical care. Compare primary , secondary.

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Miocene Neogene Oligocene Paleocene Paleogene phosphate

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