Etymologically
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trinity

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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)