third

third  (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 thre, 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.

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third

Adjective

1. of or being number three in a series

2. rated, graded, or ranked below the second level

3. denoting the third from lowest forward gear in a motor vehicle

Noun

1. one of three equal parts of something

2. the fraction equal to one divided by three (¹⁄₃)

3. the third from lowest forward gear in a motor vehicle

4. Brit an honours degree of the third and usually the lowest class

5. Music the interval between one note and the note four semitones ([major third]) or three semitones ([minor third]) higher or lower than it

Adverb

Also: (thirdly) in the third place [Old English thirda]

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, tierce common 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 base position - (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 gear auto, 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 base bag, 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 position 3rd, tertiary ordinal - 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

third [θəːd] adj (before nmsg) → tercer; tercero

n → tercero/a;

(fraction) → tercio;

(BRIT) (SCOL) (degree) → título universitario de tercera clase

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third [θəːd] num → troisième

n → troisième m/f (= fraction); tiers m;

(Aut) → troisième (vitesse) f;

(Brit) (Scol) (= degree); licence f avec mention passable;

a third of → le tiers de

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third [θəːd] num → dritte(r, s)

n (fraction) → Drittel nt;

(Aut) (also: third gear) → dritter Gang m;

(Brit) (Scol) (degree) → Ausreichend nt;

a third of → ein Drittel +gen

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third [θəːd] n → terzo/a

n → terzo/a;

(fraction) → terzo, terza parte f;

(BRIT ) (SCOL) (degree) → laurea col minimo dei voti