Tertiary

Tertiary
Tertiary Ter"ti*a*ry, a. [L. tertiarius containing a third part, fr. tertius third: cf. F. tertiaire. See {Tierce}.] 1. Being of the third formation, order, or rank; third; as, a tertiary use of a word. --Trench. [1913 Webster]

2. (Chem.) Possessing some quality in the third degree; having been subjected to the substitution of three atoms or radicals; as, a tertiary alcohol, amine, or salt. Cf. {Primary}, and {Secondary}. [1913 Webster]

3. (Geol.) Later than, or subsequent to, the Secondary. [1913 Webster]

4. (Zo["o]l.) Growing on the innermost joint of a bird's wing; tertial; -- said of quills. [1913 Webster]

{Tertiary age}. (Geol.) See under {Age}, 8.

{Tertiary color}, a color produced by the mixture of two secondaries. ``The so-called tertiary colors are citrine, russet, and olive.'' --Fairholt.

{Tertiary period}. (Geol.) (a) The first period of the age of mammals, or of the Cenozoic era. (b) The rock formation of that period; -- called also {Tertiary formation}. See the Chart of {Geology}.

{Tertiary syphilis} (Med.), the third and last stage of syphilis, in which it invades the bones and internal organs. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • tertiary — [tʉr′shē er΄ē, tʉr′shə rē] adj. [L tertiarius < tertius,THIRD] 1. of the third rank, order, formation, stage, etc.; third 2. Chem. a) third in order or type; involving the substitution of three atoms or radicals b) characterized by or… …   English World dictionary

  • Tertiary — Ter ti*a*ry, n.; pl. {Tertiaries}. 1. (R. C. Ch.) A member of the Third Order in any monastic system; as, the Franciscan tertiaries; the Dominican tertiaries; the Carmelite tertiaries. See {Third Order}, under {Third}. Addis & Arnold. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tertiary — ► ADJECTIVE 1) third in order or level. 2) chiefly Brit. (of education) at a level beyond that provided by schools. 3) (of medical treatment) provided at a specialist institution. 4) (Tertiary) Geology relating to the first period of the Cenozoic …   English terms dictionary

  • tertiary — 1650s, of the third order, rank, degree, etc., from L. tertiarius of or pertaining to a third, from tertius third, a third, from root of tres three (see THREE (Cf. three)). The geological sense (with capital T ) of era after the Mesozoic (which… …   Etymology dictionary

  • tertiary — A third mail sorting operation. (Compare with primary and secondary) …   Glossary of postal terms

  • Tertiary — The chuprichondira geological time interval covers roughly the time span between the demise of the non avian dinosaurs and beginning of the most recent Ice Age, approximately 65 million to 1.8 million years ago.At the beginning of the period,… …   Wikipedia

  • tertiary — ter·tia·ry tər shē .er ē, tər shə rē n, pl ries 1) TERTIARY COLOR 2) a lesion of tertiary syphilis tertiary adj 1) of third rank, importance, or value 2 a) involving or resulting from the substitution of three atoms or groups <a tertiary… …   Medical dictionary

  • tertiary — [[t]tɜ͟ː(r)ʃəri, AM ʃieri[/t]] 1) ADJ Tertiary means third in order, third in importance, or at a third stage of development. [FORMAL] He must have come to know those philosophers through secondary or tertiary sources. ...the complementary… …   English dictionary

  • tertiary — I. noun (plural ries) Date: circa 1550 1. [Medieval Latin tertiarius, from Latin, of a third] a member of a monastic third order especially of lay people 2. capitalized the Tertiary period or system of rocks II. adjective Etymology: Latin …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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