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troika

 - 5 dictionary results

troi⋅ka

[troi-kuh]
–noun
1. a Russian carriage, wagon, or sleigh drawn by a team of three horses abreast.
2. a team of three horses driven abreast.
3. any group of three persons, nations, etc., acting equally in unison to exert influence, control, or the like.

Origin:
1835–45; < Russ tróĭka threesome, troika, deriv. of tróe three (collective), akin to tri three
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tri·um·vi·rate   (trī-ŭm'vər-ĭt)   
n.  
  1. Government by triumvirs.

  2. The office or term of a triumvir.

  3. A body or group of triumvirs.

  4. An association or a group of three. Also called troika.


[Latin triumvirātus, from triumvirī, board of three; see triumvir.]
troi·ka   (troi'kə)   
n.  
    1. A Russian carriage drawn by a team of three horses abreast.

    2. A team of three horses abreast.

  1. See triumvirate.


[Russian troĭka, from troje, group of three; 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.
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Word Origin & History

troika 
1842, "carriage drawn by three horses abreast," from Rus. troika "three-horse team, any group of three," from collective numeral troe "three" + dim. suffix -ka. Sense of "any group of three administrators, triumvirate" is first recorded 1945.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

troika

(Russian: "three"), any vehicle drawn by three horses abreast, usually a sleigh with runners but also a wheeled carriage. The three-horse team is also known as a unicorn team.

Learn more about troika with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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