trinus

Forms

trīnus (feminine trīna, neuter trīnum); first/second-declension numeral^[1] It is mostly used in the plural, trīnī, -ae, -a.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from trēs (“three”) on the model of bīnī.^[2] Wiktionary derives it from Proto-Italic *triznos, from Proto-Indo-European *trís (“thrice”) and the adjective suffix *-nós.^[1] De Vaan reports Coleman's doubt whether it or ternī is the regular outcome; perhaps ⟨ternī⟩ comes from ⟨*tri-no-⟩, the older formation, and ⟨trīnī⟩ from ⟨*trisno-⟩, a newer one like ⟨bīnī⟩.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates the plural from Plautus,^[5] who has a playful jingle about three times three triple joys.^[2] De Vaan dates it from Cato,^[4] who lists three teams of oxen.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is three each or three at a time, and three forming a group: Ovid has three deities worshipped by a district, Suetonius three sacrifices a day.^[2][3] With nouns used only in the plural it simply means three: Cicero speaks of three sets of games and three letters, Caesar of a man bound with three chains and of three camps taken.^[2][3] It also means multiplied into three, as Pliny's three suns, and in the singular threefold or triple, as Seneca's triple barking.^[2] Church Latin uses it for three in one, triune.^[6] English trine “threefold” was borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French and directly from Latin.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus.^[2][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato of three teams of oxen.^[2][4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of three sets of games.^[2][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar of three chains.^[2][5]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca, threefold.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English trine.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (plural) Three each, three at a time; three together.^[2][3][1]
2. (plural, with nouns used only in the plural) Three.^[2][3][1]
3. Multiplied into three;^[2][3][1][6] (singular) threefold, triple.^[2][3][1][6]
4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Three in one, triune.^[6]

Word family

• trinio
• trīnitās
• ūnitrīnus

Related words

• trēs
• English trine

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com