Etymologically
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trinity

Etymology and origin of the English word trinity

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
probably before 1200
Borrowed from
Old French trinité via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (trēs)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɹɪnɪti/ (UK); /ˈtɹɪnəti/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English trinite, borrowed from Old French trinité (“the Holy Trinity”),[2][3] from Late Latin trīnitās (“Trinity, triad”) (in Tertullian),[2][4] a translation of Ancient Greek τριάς (triás),[4] from trīnus (“threefold”),[2][5] from trīnī (“three at a time”), related to trēs (“three”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The union of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one God: probably before 1200, in the Ancrene Riwle, in Barnhart;[3] the early 13th century in Etymonline.[2]

Semantic evolution

The theological sense came first;[2][6] the state of being threefold is found from about 1425,[7] and any group of three persons or things from 1542.[7] The word also names the festival of the Holy Trinity, Trinity Sunday.[7][8]

Timeline

  • probably before 1200 – the Christian Trinity.[3]
  • 1215–30 – the festival of the Trinity.[7]
  • ?c. 1425 – threefoldness.[7]
  • 1542 – any set of three.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. In Christian theology, the union of three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in one God.
  2. A group of three closely related members.
  3. Trinity Sunday.

Word family

  • trinitarian
  • holy trinity

Usage notes

In West Yorkshire, Trinity was an annual feast at Kirkburton and nearby, held on Trinity Sunday and the two days after.[9]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Trinity.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/trinity. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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