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tertiary

 - 6 dictionary results

ter⋅ti⋅ar⋅y

  [tur-shee-er-ee, tur-shuh-ree] adjective, noun, plural -ar⋅ies.
Use tertiary in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of the third order, rank, stage, formation, etc.; third.
2. Chemistry.
a. noting or containing a carbon atom united to three other carbon atoms.
b. formed by replacement of three atoms or groups.
3. (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.
4. Ornithology. tertial.
5. 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
6. (initial capital letter) Geology. the Tertiary Period or System.
7. Ornithology. a tertial feather.
8. (often initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. a member of a tertiary branch of a religious order.
9. tertiary color.
Origin:
1540–50; < L tertiārius of third part or rank, equiv. to terti(us) third + -ārius -ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tertiary
ter·ti·ar·y   (tûr'shē-ěr'ē)   
adj.  

  1. Third in place, order, degree, or rank.

  2. Of, relating to, or designating the short flight feathers nearest the body on the rear edge of a bird's wing.

  3. Chemistry

    1. Of or relating to salts of acids containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms.

    2. Of or relating to organic compounds in which a group, such as an alcohol or amine, is bound to three nonelementary radicals.

  4. Tertiary Of or belonging to the geologic time, system of rocks, or sedimentary deposits of the first period of the Cenozoic Era, characterized by the appearance of modern flora and of apes and other large mammals. See Table at geologic time.

n.   pl. ter·ti·ar·ies

  1. A tertiary feather.

  2. Tertiary The Tertiary Period or its system of deposits.

  3. Roman Catholic Church A member of a religious Third Order.


[Latin tertiārius, from tertius, third; see trei- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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. geologist Giovanni Arduino (1714-1795).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1ter·tia·ry
Pronunciation: 't&r-shE-"er-E, 't&r-sh&-rE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ries
1 : TERTIARY COLOR
2 : a lesion of tertiary syphilis

Main Entry: 2tertiary
Function: adjective
1 : of third rank, importance, or value
2 a : involving or resulting from thesubstitution of three atoms or groups tertiary salt> b : being or containing a carbon atom having bonds to three other carbon atoms tertiary carbon> c : of, relating to, or being the normal folded structure of the coiled chain of a protein or of a DNA or RNA —compare PRIMARY 4 SECONDARY 3
3 : occurringin or being a third stage <tertiary lesions of syphilis>
4 : providing tertiary care tertiary medical center>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

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

  1. Third in place, order, degree, or rank.

  2. Of or relating to salts of acids containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms.

  3. Of or relating to organic compounds in which a group is bound to three nonelementary radicals.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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