Category:Three

Three, a. Etym: [oe. þre, þreo, þri, as. þri, masc., þreó, fem. and Neut.; akin to ofries. thre, os. thria, threa, d. drie, g. drei, ohg. Dri, icel. þrir, dan. & sw. tre, goth. þreis, lith. trys, ir., Gael. & w. tri, russ. tri, l. tres, gr. trei^s, skr. tri. *301. Cf. 3d Drilling, tern, a., Third, thirteen, thirty, tierce, trey, tri-, Triad, trinity, tripod.]

Defn: one more than two; two and one. "i offer thee three things." 2 Sam. xxiv. 12. Three solemn aisles approach the shrine. Keble.

Note: three is often joined with other words, forming compounds Signifying divided into, composed of, or containing, three parts, Portions, organs, or the like; as, three-branched, three-capsuled, Three-celled, three-cleft, three-edged, three-foot, three-footed, Three-forked, three-grained, three-headed, three-legged, three- Mouthed, three-nooked, three-petaled, three-pronged, three-ribbed, Three-seeded, three-stringed, three-toed, and the like.

Three Three, n.

1. The number greater by a unit than two; three units or objects.

2. A symbol representing three units, as 3 or iii. Rule of three. (arith.) See under rule, n.