three

n.

1. The cardinal number equal to 2 + 1.
2. The third in a set or sequence.
3. Something having three parts, units, or members.

[Middle English, from Old English thrī.]

three three adj. & pron.

noun

A group of three individuals: threesome, triad, trine, trinity, trio, triple, triumvirate, triune, triunity, troika. See group.

(Metric) For use applied as a suffix to units, see tenth gram.

third

By for the most widespread of the traditionally significant numbers. It is a commonplace in folktales that persons and events are triplicated, the third of the set being often ‘weighted’ (the third brother the best, the third ogre the fiercest, the third casket the right one, etc.). In folk rhymes there is a fondness for groups of three (‘triads’), with the third often lengthened to form a climax:

Rub-a-dub-dub! Three men in a tub,
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker …

One flew east, and one flew west,
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest …

There is a common saying that ‘deaths come in threes’, or, less specifically, that ‘all good/bad things come in threes’ another is ‘third time lucky’, or ‘third time pays for all’. In rituals of magic, luck, or healing, it is very frequent to find words or actions being repeated three times; the same is often true of prayers and religious gestures. These features appear throughout European tradition, for reasons unknown.

IN BRIEF: The number represented by the numeral 3. Also: One more than two and one less than four in the sequence of cardinal numbers.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. — Buddha (563-483 BC)

Common misspelling(s) of three

• threee

Dansk (Danish)
num. - tre
n. - tre

idioms:

• three Rs    læsning, skrivning, Reading, Writing, Arithmetic; grundskoleviden
• three-line whip    indkaldelse til vigtig debat
• three-point turn    trepunktsvending
• three-ring circus    cirkus med tre maneger

Nederlands (Dutch)
drie(tal)

Français (French)
n. - trois
adj. - trois

idioms:

• the three Rs    les trois disciplines fondamentales (lecture, écriture, calcul)
• three-line whip    (GB, Pol) invitation impérative à voter (adressée à un membre du Parlement)
• three-point turn    demi-tour en trois man¯uvres

Deutsch (German)
n. - Drei, Triade
adj. - drei

idioms:

• the three Rs    Lesen, Schreiben und Rechnen
• three-line whip    (verbindl.) Aufforderung zur Teilnahme an einer Plenarsitzung
• three-point turn    Wendemanöver auf engem Raum

Ελληνική (Greek)
n., -
adj. - τρεις, τρία

idioms:

• three Rs    βασικές γνώσεις (ανάγνωση, γραφή και αριθμητική)
• three-line whip    αυστηρή τήρηση της κομματικής γραμμής σε ψηφοφορία
• three-point turn    (για χειρισμό οχήματος) στροφή τριών σημείων
• three-ring circus    τσίρκο με τρεις πίστες, (μτφ.) τσίρκο, θέαμα

Italiano (Italian)
terzetto, triade, tre

idioms:

• three rs    leggere, scrivere e far di conto
• three-line whip    messaggio urgente
• three-point turn    manovra di parcheggio
• three-ring circus    casino di prim'ordine

Português (Portuguese)
n. - três (m), dois mais um
adj. - terceiro

idioms:

• three Rs    Proveniente da grafia humorística (leitura, escrita e aritmética)
• three-line whip    instrução aos Membros do Parlamento para votação
• three-point turn    inversão de marcha
• three-ring circus    circo com três pistas

Русский (Russian)
тройка, трое, три (число)

idioms:

• three Rs    три "Р" (англ, инициалы: "читать, писать, арифметика"
• three-line whip    предписание присутствовать на заседании парламента особой важности
• three-point turn    поворот (или разворот) в три приема
• three-ring circus    цирк с тремя аренами под одним куполом, неразбериха

Español (Spanish)
n. - tres
adj. - tres

idioms:

• the three Rs    lectura, escritura y aritmética
• three-line whip    aviso de asistencia urgente a una sesión del parlamento
• three-point turn    maniobra en L

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - tre, trea
pron. - tre
adj. - tre-, trefaldig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
三, 三个

idioms:

• three Rs    初等教育的三要素, 特定方面的基本技能
• three-line whip    政党领袖要求该党议员如何投票的紧急指令
• three-point turn    三点转向
• three-ring circus    热闹极了

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
num. - 三
n. - 三, 三個

idioms:

• three Rs    初等教育的三要素, 特定方面的基本技能
• three-line whip    政黨領袖要求該黨議員如何投票的緊急指令
• three-point turn    三點轉向
• three-ring circus    熱鬧極了

한국어 (Korean)
num. - 3
n. - 셋 , 3세, 세 개 한 벌

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 3の, 3歳の
n. - 3の数字, 3個, 3個一組のもの, 3時, 3歳, 3の札

idioms:

• three Rs    読み書き算術, 基礎

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ثلاثه, ثلاث (صفه) ثلاثه, ثلاث‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שלוש, שלושה‬

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Three Tier	three days
playstation three	three stooges