three

Pronunciation

• IPA: /θriː/^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English thre,^[3][4] inherited from Old English þrēo (“three (feminine and neuter)”), masculine þrī,^[5][3][6] from Proto-Germanic *þrijiz,^[3][6] from Proto-Indo-European *trei- (“three”).^[5][7] It is related to Dutch drie, German drei, Old Norse þrír and Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌹𐌾𐌰 (þrija),^[5][3][8] and to Latin trēs, Ancient Greek τρεῖς (treîs), Sanskrit त्रयः (tráyaḥ), Lithuanian trys and Irish trí.^[5][8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The number one more than two, recorded in Old English in 803 and as thre in the Peterborough Chronicle in 1123.^[10][9]

Semantic evolution

The number word has kept its meaning; its history lies mostly in compounds and phrases.^[5] Threesome, a group of three, dates from 1375 and threescore from about 1388, in the Wycliffe Bible.^[9] The three dimensions were so called from the late 14th century, and 3-D, short for three-dimensional (1878), is attested by 1952.^[5] From about 1535 three or four was used loosely for a small number.^[11] Modern phrases include three cheers (1751), three-piece suit (1897), three-ring circus (1898), three-sixty, a complete turnaround, first among aviators (1927), and three-martini lunch (1972);^[5] the saying third time lucky dates from the mid 19th century.^[12]

Timeline

• 803 – Old English þrī, þrēo.^[10]
• 1123 – thre, in the Peterborough Chronicle.^[9]
• 1375 – threesome.^[9]
• late 14th century – the three dimensions.^[5]
• c. 1535 – three or four, a few.^[11]
• 1751 – three cheers.^[5]
• 1898 – three-ring circus.^[5]
• 1927 – three-sixty.^[5]
• 1952 – 3-D.^[5]

Modern meaning

Numeral

1. The cardinal number one more than two; 3.

Noun

1. The figure 3 or the Roman numeral III.
2. A set or group of three people or things.
3. The third in a set or series, such as a playing card with three pips.
4. Three o'clock; the age of three years.
5. (basketball) A three-point shot.

Adjective

1. Amounting to three in number.

Related words

• third
• thrice
• triple
• thirteen
• thirty
• trio
• triad
• trinity

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
9. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
10. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
12. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press