tertiary

tertiary
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 designating a carbon atom or group attached to three other carbon atoms or groups in a chain or ring
3. [usually T-] Geol. designating or of the first geologic period of the Cenozoic Era, usually subdivided into the Paleogene and the Neogene and characterized by the formation of major mountain ranges, the first grasses and grasslands, and the development of mammals as the dominant animal
4. Linguis.
a) designating, of, or being the third strongest of the four phonemic degrees of stress
b) a mark used to indicate this
5. R.C.Ch. of a Third Order: see THIRD ORDER
6. Zool. TERTIAL
n.
pl. tertiaries
1. R.C.Ch. a member of a Third Order
2. Zool. TERTIAL
——————
the Tertiary
the Tertiary Period or its rocks: see the geologic time chart in the Reference Supplement

English World dictionary. . 2014.

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  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tertiary — ter‧tia‧ry [ˈtɜːʆəri ǁ ˈtɜːrʆieri, ʆri] adjective [only before a noun] COMMERCE tertiary industries or companies are involved in providing services, rather than the production of raw material S (= materials used in manufacturing) or… …   Financial and business terms

  • 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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