tertian
Plural: tertians
Adjective
- relating to symptoms (especially malarial fever) that appear every other day
- "tertian fever"
- of or relating to a tonal system based on major thirds
- "a tertian tonal system"
Adj
- Characterised by paroxysms recurring every other day (that is, every third day by inclusive reckoning).
- Pertaining to the mean-tone temperament, in which major thirds are perfectly in tune.
Noun
- A fever that recurs every third day.
- A tertian fever.
- A cask of a certain size; its volume used as a measure of capacity (one-third of a tun's).
Examples
- His opponent’s luck seemed to follow a tertian pattern, hitting bingos every third turn.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English tertiān, terciān, terciāne (adjective and noun), originally often as part of the collocation fever cum terciane, after Latin febris cum tertiānā. Compare the "third" essence of tertiary.
Synonyms
Scrabble Score: 7
tertian: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordtertian: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tertian: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 8
tertian: valid Words With Friends Word