The three Rs

The three Rs
R R ([aum]r). R, the eighteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a vocal consonant. It is sometimes called a semivowel, and a liquid. See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 178, 179, and 250-254. ``R is the dog's letter and hurreth in the sound.'' --B. Jonson. [1913 Webster]

Note: In words derived from the Greek language the letter h is generally written after r to represent the aspirated sound of the Greek "r, but does not affect the pronunciation of the English word, as rhapsody, rhetoric. [1913 Webster] The English letter derives its form from the Greek through the Latin, the Greek letter being derived from the Ph[oe]nician, which, it is believed, is ultimately of Egyptian origin. Etymologically, R is most closely related to l, s, and n; as in bandore, mandole; purple, L. purpura; E. chapter, F. chapitre, L. capitulum; E. was, were; hare, G. hase; E. order, F. ordre, L. ordo, ordinis; E. coffer, coffin. [1913 Webster]

{The three Rs}, a jocose expression for reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic, -- the fundamentals of an education. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • the three R's — {n. phr.} (W)riting, reading, and (a)rithmetic, the three basic skills of an elementary education. * /Barry has completed the three R s, but otherwise he has had little formal education./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • the three R's — {n. phr.} (W)riting, reading, and (a)rithmetic, the three basic skills of an elementary education. * /Barry has completed the three R s, but otherwise he has had little formal education./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • The Three Tenors — is a name given to a consort of singers who held concerts under this banner during the 1990s and early 2000s: Spaniards Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and Italian Luciano Pavarotti. The trio began their collaboration with a concert at the… …   Wikipedia

  • The Three Weeks — or Bein ha Metzarim (Hebrew: בין המצרים, Between the cf In Dire Straits ) is a period of mourning commemorating the destruction of the first and second Jewish Temples. The Three Weeks start on the seventeenth day of the Jewish month of Tammuz the …   Wikipedia

  • The Three Graces — The term The Three Graces may refer to:* Charites, known in Greek mythology as The Three Graces, goddesses of such things as charm, beauty, and creativity. In Roman black irish mythology they were known as the Gratiae. * An art topic depicted in… …   Wikipedia

  • The Three Friends and Jerry — is an animated television series which aired in the United States on Fox Family from 1998 to 1999. A Swedish/British co production, the series was created by Magnus Carlsson and produced by Happy Life Productions and TV Loonland.PlotJerry is a… …   Wikipedia

  • The Three Soldiers — (also known as The Three Servicemen) is a bronze statue on the Washington, DC National Mall commemorating the Vietnam War. The grouping consists of three young men, armed and dressed appropriately for the Vietnam War era, purposely identifiable… …   Wikipedia

  • The Three Sisters (Ireland) — The Three Sisters are three rivers in Ireland: the River Barrow, the River Nore and the River Suir. All three rise in the same mountainous area in County Tipperary and join the sea in the same bay southwest of the city of Waterford. In between,… …   Wikipedia

  • The Three Periods — is a Quebec sovereigntist strategy. Before the 1993 federal election in Canada, Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Jacques Parizeau evoked a strategy for attainment of Quebec independence called the Three Periods. The strategy is partly inspired by the… …   Wikipedia

  • the three-mile limit — Three mile Three mile , a. Of or pertaining to three miles; as, {the three mile limit}, or the limit of the marine belt (the {three mile belt} or {three mile zone}) of three miles included in territorial waters (which see) of a state. [Webster… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”