different between ternary vs trinal

English

Etymology

From Late Latin ternarius (“consisting of three things”), from terni (“three each”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /t??n??i/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /t?n??i/
• Homophone: ternery

Adjective

ternary (not comparable)

1. Made up of three things; treble, triadic, triple, triplex.
2. Arranged in groups of three.
3. (arithmetic) To the base three.
4. (arithmetic) Having three variables.
5. (chemistry) Containing, or consisting of, three different parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are regarded as having different functions or relations in the molecule.

Synonyms

• (made up of three things): tern, trinary, trine; see also Thesaurus:triple
• (to the base three): trinary

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• unary
• binary
• tetranary

Noun

ternary (plural ternaries)

1. A group of three things; a trio, threesome or tierce.
2. (obsolete) The Holy Trinity.
   • 1570, John Dee, in H. Billingsley (trans.) Euclid, Elements of Geometry, Preface:

     And albeit these thynges be waighty and truthes of great importance, yet (by the infinite goodnes of the Almighty Ternarie,) Artificiall Methods and easy wayes are made, by which the zelous Philosopher, may wyn nere this Riuerish Ida, this Mountayne of Contemplation […].

Synonyms

• (a group of three things): See Thesaurus:trio

Anagrams

• Trenary

English

Alternative forms

• trinall (obsolete)

Etymology

From the Medieval Latin tr?n?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?t?a?n?l/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?t???n?l/, [?t???n?l]

Adjective

trinal (not comparable)

1. (now rare) Having three parts; triple.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto XII, XXXIX, Google Books

     Like as it had bene many an Angels voice, // Singing before th’ eternall maiesty, // In their trinall triplicities on hye.

   • 1941, Henry Miller, The Wisdom of the Heart, Google Books

     The trinal division of body, mind and soul becomes a unity, a holy trinity. And with it the realization that one aspect of our nature cannot be exalted above another...

Translations

Anagrams

• ratlin