tierce

tierce  (tîrs)

n.

1. also Tierce (tîrs) or terce or Terce (tûrs) Ecclesiastical

a. The third of the seven canonical hours. No longer in liturgical use.

b. The time of day appointed for this service, usually the third hour after sunrise.

2. A measure of liquid capacity, equal to a third of a pipe, or 42 gallons (159 liters).

3. Games A sequence of three cards of the same suit.

4. Sports The third position from which a parry or thrust can be made in fencing.

5. Music An interval of a third.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from feminine of tiers, third, from Latin tertius; see trei- in Indo-European roots.]

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Tierce a band or company of soldiers; a cask of wine, hence, a similar amount of other commodities; the third part of a thing or group of people or things.

Examples: tierce of beef (a cask), 1800; of coffee berries, 1825; of French claret (cask), 1707; of honey (a cask), 1585; of pork (a cask), 1800; of soldiers (a band or company); of tobacco, 1886; of wine (a cask).

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	tierce - the third canonical hour; about 9 a.m. terce canonical hour - (Roman Catholic Church) one of seven specified times for prayer
	2.	tierce - the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one tercet, ternary, ternion, terzetto, three, threesome, trey, triad, trine, trinity, trio, triplet, 3, deuce-ace, III, leash, troika digit, figure - one of the elements that collectively form a system of numeration; "0 and 1 are digits"
	3.	tierce - one of three equal parts of a divisible whole; "it contains approximately a third of the minimum daily requirement" one-third, third common fraction, simple fraction - the quotient of two integers