three definition

Translingual three definition

Etymology

From English three.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɹiː/^[1]

Numeral

three

1. (international standards) NATO & ICAO phonetic alphabet code for the numeral 3.

   Synonym: terrathree (ITU/IMO)

References

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English three definition

English numbers ^(edit)

	30
←  2	3	4  →
Cardinal: three     Ordinal: third     Latinate ordinal: tertiary     Adverbial: three times, thrice     Multiplier: threefold     Latinate multiplier: triple     Distributive: triply     Collective: threesome     Greek or Latinate collective: triad     Greek collective prefix: tri-     Latinate collective prefix: tri-     Multiuse collective: triplet     Fractional: third     Greek prefix: trito-     Number of musicians: trio, triplet

Alternative forms

• thre, threy, thrie (all obsolete)

Etymology

PIE word
*tréyes

From Middle English thre, threo, thrie, thri, from Old English þrī, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes. Doublet of trey.

Cognate with German drei, Albanian tre, Armenian երեք (erekʿ), Latin trēs, Latvian trīs, Lithuanian trỹs, Greek τρεῖς (treῖs), Old Church Slavonic трьѥ (trĭje), and others.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: thrē IPA^(key): /θɹiː/, [θɾ̪̊iː], [θɾ̪̊ɪi]
• (UK, th-fronting) enPR: frē IPA^(key): /fɹiː/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /θɹiː/, [θɾ̪̊iː], [t̪ɾ̪̊iː]
• (General American) enPR: thrē IPA^(key): /θɹiː/, [θɾ̪̊i]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iː
• Homophones: tree (with th-stopping), free (with th-fronting)

Numeral

three

1. A numerical value after two and before four. Represented in Arabic digits as 3; this many dots (•••).
   • 1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, OCLC 6868219:

     Venters began to count them—one—two—three—four—on up to sixteen.

   • 2003 April 7, Michelle and Robert Lamoreaux, “A Spy is Born Part II”, in Totally Spies!, season 2, episode 1, Teletoon, Marathon Media, spoken by Clover (Jennifer Hale as Samantha “Sam” and Andrea Taylor):

     Okay, on three, we open the door and jump on the rope. One, two…
     Wait, wait! Do we go on three? Or do we go on “go”?
     Three! Who said anything about “go”?

   • 2011 October 18, Paul Dini; Paul Crocker; Sefton Hill, Batman: Arkham City, Rocksteady Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, spoken by Joker thugs:

     Why should she care? One…two…
     Do we shoot on three?
     Yes on three. Like one, two, three, shoot.

2. Describing a set or group with three elements.

Synonyms

• (numerical value): leash, tether (dialectal)

Related terms

• third, thrice, triple

Translations

See also

• Table of cardinal numbers 0 to 9 in various languages

Noun

three (plural threes)

1. The digit/figure 3.
2. Anything measuring three units, as length.

   Put all the threes in a separate container.

3. A person who is three years old.

   All the threes will go in Mrs. Smith's class, while I'll take the fours and fives.

4. The playing card featuring three pips.
5. Three o'clock, either a.m. or p.m.
   • 1926, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Land of Mist‎^[2]:

     It was a weary time. A carriage clock had been placed on the discoloured wooden mantelpiece, and slowly its hands crept on from one to two and from two to three.

6. (basketball) Abbreviation of three-pointer.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Playing cards in English · playing cards (layout · text)
ace	deuce, two	three	four	five	six	seven
eight	nine	ten	jack, knave	queen	king	joker

Anagrams

• Ehret, Ether, Reeth, ether, rethe, theer, there

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Manx three definition

Numeral

three

1. Alternative spelling of tree.

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Scots three definition

Alternative forms

• (South Scots) threi, shrei, hrei

Etymology

From Middle English thre, from Old English þriē, þrī, þreō, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θriː/
• (South Scots) IPA^(key): /θrəi/
• (Shetland) IPA^(key): /triː/

Numeral

cardinal number

3	Previous:	twa
	Next:	fower

three

1. three

Related terms

• threty