THIRD
What does "THIRD" mean?
Coming after the second in order, position, or rank.
Meanings
- Constituting number three in a sequence. She finished third in the race.
- One of three equal parts of a whole. Cut the dough into thirds.
- In music, an interval spanning three notes of a scale. Harmonize the melody in thirds. technical
- The forward gear above second in a vehicle. He shifted into third on the open road.
Did you know?
- 'Third' used to be 'thrid' - the 'r' and the vowel swapped seats over the centuries, the same quirk that made 'bird' from older 'brid.'
Word origin
From Old English 'þridda', from Proto-Germanic '*þridjô', from the same Indo-European root as Latin 'tertius' and Greek 'tritos'; the vowels swapped places (metathesis) on the way from 'thrid' to 'third'.
Remember it
THIRD breaks the pattern of 'three': the letters shuffle, so remember it's the odd ordinal that swapped its 'r'.
A little poem
Not the first to break the tape,
not the runner they'll drape-
third still holds a medal's shape.
tercet
Wordplay
- The third-place runner wasn't sad - bronze, after all, is just gold that knew its place.
What it teaches
Third is far enough from first to be overlooked, and close enough to prove you belonged in the race.
Quick facts
What does THIRD mean?
Coming after the second in order, position, or rank.
Is THIRD a valid word?
Yes — THIRD is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is THIRD?
THIRD has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does THIRD come from?
From Old English 'þridda', from Proto-Germanic '*þridjô', from the same Indo-European root as Latin 'tertius' and Greek 'tritos'; the vowels swapped places (metathesis) on the way from 'thrid' to 'third'.
What can THIRD teach us?
Third is far enough from first to be overlooked, and close enough to prove you belonged in the race.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.