third

third

T0169600 (thûrd)n.1. The ordinal number matching the number three in a series.2. One of three equal parts.3. Music a. An interval of three degrees in a diatonic scale.b. A tone separated by three degrees from a given tone, especially the third tone of a scale.4. The transmission gear or gear ratio used to produce forward speeds next higher to those of second in a motor vehicle.5. Baseball Third base.6. thirds Merchandise whose quality is below the standard set for seconds.

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[Middle English thridde, therdde, third, from Old English thridda; see trei- in Indo-European roots.]

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third adv. & adj.Word History: Every native speaker knows that the cardinal three and the ordinal third are closely related, but many may wonder why the r comes before the vowel in the former and after in the latter. What we have here is metathesis, the switching of the order of two sounds. This is a common occurrence in languages, and especially so in English with the consonant r. In Old English, three was thrīe, and third was thridda. Thridda would have given us thrid in Modern English except for the metathesis of r and i. This metathesis began in Old English times in Northumbria: thridda appears as thirdda in Northumbrian manuscripts. The metathesis spread south during Middle English times and also affected many other words, including bird (originally bridd in Old English and in Chaucer's Middle English), and nostril, literally "nose hole" (from Old English thyrl). Metathesis even produced the curious form throp from thorp, "village," which survives in the proper name Winthrop.

third

(θɜːd) adj (usually prenominal) 1. (Mathematics) a. coming after the second and preceding the fourth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of three: often written 3rdb. (as noun): he arrives on the third; the third got a prize. 2. rated, graded, or ranked below the second level3. (Automotive Engineering) denoting the third from lowest forward ratio of a gearbox in a motor vehiclen4. (Mathematics) a. one of three equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, etcb. (as modifier): a third part. 5. (Mathematics) the fraction equal to one divided by three ()6. (Automotive Engineering) the forward ratio above second of a gearbox in a motor vehicle. In some vehicles it is the top gear7. (Classical Music) a. the interval between one note and another three notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scaleb. one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other. See also interval⁵, major¹⁵, minor^4d8. (Education) Brit an honours degree of the third and usually the lowest class. Full term: third class honours degree 9. (Commerce) (plural) goods of a standard lower than that of secondsadv Also: thirdly in the third placesentence connector Also: thirdly as the third point: linking what follows with the previous statements as in a speech or argument[Old English thirda, variant of thridda; related to Old Frisian thredda, Old Saxon thriddio, Old High German drittio, Old Norse thrithi, Latin tertius] ˈthirdly adv

third

(θɜrd)

adj. 1. next after the second; being the ordinal number for three. 2. being one of three equal parts. 3. pertaining to the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is next greater than that of second gear. 4. graded or ranked one level below the second: third mate. n. 5. a third part, esp. of one (?). 6. the third member of a series. 7. third gear. 8. a person or thing next after second in rank or precedence. 9. a. a musical interval encompassing three diatonic degrees. b. a tone at this interval. c. the harmonic combination of two tones a third apart. 10. Usu., thirds. a product or goods below second quality. adv. 11. in the third place; thirdly. [before 900; Middle English thirde, Old English (north) thirda, variant of thridda, c. Old Frisian thredda, Old Saxon thriddio, Old High German dritt(i)o, Old Norse thrithi, Gothic thridja. See three] third′ly, adv.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	third - one of three equal parts of a divisible whole; "it contains approximately a third of the minimum daily requirement"one-third, tiercecommon fraction, simple fraction - the quotient of two integers
	2.	third - the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed near the third of the bases in the infield (counting counterclockwise from home plate); "he is playing third"third baseposition - (in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player; "what position does he play?"baseball team - a team that plays baseball
	3.	third - following the second position in an ordering or series; "a distant third"; "he answered the first question willingly, the second reluctantly, and the third with resentment"rank - relative status; "his salary was determined by his rank and seniority"
	4.	third - the musical interval between one note and another three notes away from it; "a simple harmony written in major thirds"musical interval, interval - the difference in pitch between two notes
	5.	third - the third from the lowest forward ratio gear in the gear box of a motor vehicle; "you shouldn't try to start in third gear"third gearauto, automobile, car, motorcar, machine - a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine; "he needs a car to get to work"gear mechanism, gear - a mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle)
	6.	third - the base that must be touched third by a base runner in baseball; "he was cut down on a close play at third"third basebag, base - a place that the runner must touch before scoring; "he scrambled to get back to the bag"
Adj.	1.	third - coming next after the second and just before the fourth in position3rd, tertiaryordinal - being or denoting a numerical order in a series; "ordinal numbers"; "held an ordinal rank of seventh"
Adv.	1.	third - in the third place; "third we must consider unemployment"thirdly

Translations

三分之一第三第三位

third

(θəːd) noun1. one of three equal parts. 三分之一 三分之一2. (also adjective) the last of three (people, things etc); the next after the second. 第三 第三 adverb in the third position. John came first in the race, and I came third. 第三(位) 第三（位） ˈthirdly adverb in the third place. Firstly, I haven't enough money; secondly, I'm too old; and thirdly it's raining. 第三 第三ˌthird-ˈclass adjective, adverb of or in the class next after or below the second. 第三 第三third degree a severe method of questioning people, sometimes using torture etc. The police gave him the third degree. 拷問, 疲勞訊問 拷问，疲劳讯问 third party a third person who is not directly involved in an action, contract etc. Was there a third party present when you and she agreed to the sale? 第三者，第三方 第三者，第三方 ˌthird-ˈrate adjective of very bad quality. a third-rate performance. 三等的 三等的the Third World the developing countries, those not part of or aligned with the two main powers. the needs of the Third World. 第三世界 第三世界

third

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