trifecta

Etymology

It is formed from English tri- + perfecta, with the prefix tri-, three, and the ending “-fecta” abstracted from perfecta.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Perfecta, a bet on the first two finishers in order, is from Spanish from American Spanish perfecta, short for quiniela perfecta (“perfect quiniela”),^[3][7][4] the feminine of perfecto (“perfect”), from Latin perfectus.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A bet that requires picking the first three finishers of a race in the right order: 1971, in the Detroit Free Press.^[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster Unabridged date it to 1974,^[3][7] and Dictionary.com to 1970–75.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The word was made on the model of perfecta, recorded from 1961 for the two-horse bet,^[7] and was joined by superfecta for the first four.^[7] It is used chiefly in North America, Australia and New Zealand.^[9] In extended use it came to mean any set of three things, especially three successes or wins together,^[2][7][5] or, in Australian colloquial use, a powerful or notable combination of three things.^[10][11] Slang uses it for any situation with three parts, in American and Australian sources from 1996.^[12]

Timeline

• 1971 – a bet on the first three finishers of a race in the correct order.^[2]
• 1996 – a group or situation of three parts.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A bet in which the bettor must pick the first three finishers of a race in the correct order.^[7][5][2]
2. A set of three successes or achievements together: She completed the trifecta by winning the title, the cup and the scoring award.^[7][5][11]
3. Any notable group of three things or events.^[11][10][2]

Related words

• perfecta
• superfecta
• quinella
• perfect

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
5. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
9. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b The Macquarie Dictionary (2013), 6th ed., Sydney: Macquarie Dictionary Publishers
11. ^ a b c Moore, Bruce, ed. (2004), The Australian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd ed., Melbourne: Oxford University Press
12. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com