tertiary etymology

Etymology

  • Tertiary derives from the Latin word tertiarius meaning “third” or “third order”. It ultimately comes from the Proto-Indo-European root trei “three”.

Meaning and Origin

The term "tertiary" has several related meanings, all derived from its original sense of "third":

1. Geology:

  • The Tertiary Period is a geological era that spanned from 66 to 2.6 million years ago. It is the third and last period of the Cenozoic Era and is characterized by the rise of mammals and the diversification of flowering plants.

2. Education:

  • Tertiary education refers to education at the post-secondary level, including undergraduate and graduate studies. It is the third level of education, after primary and secondary education.

3. Classification:

  • In various fields, "tertiary" is used to denote items or concepts that fall into a third category or group. For example, in linguistics, tertiary stress refers to the weakest stress in a sequence of stressed syllables.

4. Chemistry:

  • Tertiary alcohols and amines are organic compounds in which the functional group (OH or NH2) is attached to a carbon atom that is bonded to three other carbon atoms. They are the third type of alcohol or amine, after primary and secondary compounds.

5. Biology:

  • Tertiary structure refers to the three-dimensional arrangement of amino acids in a protein molecule. It is the third level of protein structure, after primary and secondary structure.

tertiary relate terms

  • three

    Etymology 1 Greek Meaning Number three Origin Proto Indo European treyes 2 Sans

  • Cenozoic

    Etymology The term Cenozoic is derived from two Greek words kainos καινός

  • recent

    Etymology The word etymology is derived from the Greek words etymon meaning true m

  • tertiary

    Etymology Tertiary derives from the Latin word tertiarius meaning third or thir

  • Paleozoic

    Etymology The word Paleozoic comes from the Greek words paleo meaning ancient and

  • Mesozoic

    Etymology Mesozoic is a term derived from Ancient Greek meso μέσος meaning

  • quaternary

    Etymology From Latin quaternārius meaning consisting of four Meaning Consistin

  • tertiary

    Etymology Tertiary derives from the Latin word tertiarius meaning third or thir

  • third

    Etymology The word third shares an etymological root with the Germanic word tri mea

  • Oligocene

    Etymology Oligocene is derived from the Greek words oligos meaning few and kainos

  • Mesozoic

    Etymology Mesozoic is a term derived from Ancient Greek meso μέσος meaning

  • cretaceous

    Etymology Latin creta chalk French crétacé chalky Meaning Relating to

  • Pliocene

    Etymology Greek pleion more kainos new Meaning More recent Origin Th

  • Miocene

    Etymology The name Miocene comes from the Greek words meion meaning less and ka

  • Eocene

    Etymology and Origin The word Eocene is derived from two Greek words eos meaning

  • period

    Etymology The word period comes from the Middle English word periode which itself

  • saloon

    Etymology The word saloon is derived from the French word salon which means large

  • mentor

    Etymology The word mentor is derived from the Greek name Méntōr who was a wise and