English
tertiary
Tertiary comes from Latin tertiārius ‘of the third part or rank’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *tri- ‘three, threefold’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tri-‘three, threefold’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tritósreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tritiosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtertius‘third’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtertiārius‘of the third part or rank’
- Englishearliest quotation 1780tertiary
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tri-‘three, threefold’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tritósreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tritiosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtertius‘third’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtertiārius‘of the third part or rank’
- Englishearliest quotation 1780tertiary
Earliest quotation: 1780, Member of the Academy of Petersburg: “Beſides theſe primordial mountains, M. [P[eter] S[imon]] Pallas maintains,…”
Equivalent to terti- + -ary
Proto-Indo-European *tri- ‘three, threefold’
Proto-Indo-European *tritós
Proto-Italic *tritios
Latin tertius ‘third’
English terti-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tri- ‘three, threefold’
Today it means
adj Of third rank or order; subsequent.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tri- / tertiary