- Tertiary color
- 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.