Related Searches
Nearby Words

tertium quid

 [tur-shee-uhm kwid; Lat. ter-ti-oom kwid]   Origin

ter·ti·um quid

   [tur-shee-uhm kwid; Lat. ter-ti-oom kwid]
noun
something related in some way to two things, but distinct from both; something intermediate between two things.
Origin:
1715–25; < Latin, translation of Greek tríton·ti some third thing
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To tertium quid

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Tertium quid is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
tertium quid (ˈtɜːtɪəm ˈkwɪd)
 
—n
an unknown or indefinite thing related in some way to two known or definite things, but distinct from both: there is either right or wrong, with no tertium quid
 
[C18: from Late Latin, rendering Greek triton ti some third thing]

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

tertium quid
1724, from L., lit. "third something," loan-translation of Gk. triton ti (Plato), used in alchemy for "unidentified element present in a combination of two known ones."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT