tierce
an old measure of capacity equivalent to one third of a pipe, or 42 wine gallons.
a cask or vessel holding this quantity.
Also terce [turs] /tɜrs/ .Ecclesiastical. the third of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, originally fixed for the third hour of the day (or 9 a.m.).
Fencing. the third of eight defensive positions.
Piquet. a sequence of three cards of the same suit, as an ace, king, and queen (tierce major ), or a king, queen, and jack (tierce minor ).
Obsolete. a third or third part.
Origin of tierce
1Words Nearby tierce
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tierce in a sentence
You strike high tierce like lightning and your blade is back in guard—oh yes!
Greifenstein | F. Marion CrawfordAnd he killed him with a beautiful feint and thrust in tierce.
In Search of Mademoiselle | George GibbsOccasionally they bought a cask—a tierce of forty-two gallons—and bottled it at home.
London | Walter BesantAt tierce they are rung three times, for the second, third, and fourth hours which are then chanted.
Churches and Church Ornaments | William DurandusThis letter announced a small barrel of biscuit, a tierce of wine, a half tierce of brandy, and a Dutch cheese.
Perils and Captivity | Charlotte-Adlade [ne Picard] Dard
British Dictionary definitions for tierce
/ (tɪəs) /
a variant of terce
the third of eight basic positions from which a parry or attack can be made in fencing
(tɜːs) cards a sequence of three cards in the same suit
an obsolete measure of capacity equal to 42 wine gallons
Origin of tierce
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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