trio

(trē'ō)
n., pl., -os.

1. Music.
   1. A composition for three voices or three instruments.
   2. A group of three singers or three instrumentalists.
   3. The middle, contrasting section of a minuet, scherzo, march, or various other forms.
2. A group of three.

[French, composition for three voices, from Italian : tri-, three (from Latin) + (du)o, duet; see duo.]

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has the plural form trios.

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noun

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

A piece of music for three players or singers. Common types are the Piano Trio and the String trio; See also Terzet, Tricinium and Trio sonata. The word was often used in the 18th century for pieces in three voices or parts - such as the organ sonatas or sinfonias (or three-part inventions) of Bach - even if performed by only one player.

From the 17th century onwards the second of two alternating dances was called a ‘trio’, whether or not it was in three parts; the usage probably derived from the contrasting sections for two oboes and bassoon used in dances in Lully's operas. This use of the term is most familiar from the minuet (or scherzo) and trio of Classical and later composers.

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IN BRIEF: A set of three similar things or three people considered as a unit.

Byron and Shelley and Keats were a trio of lyrical treats. — Dorothy Parker (1893-1967)

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For a list of words related to trio, see:

• Types of Music and Composition - trio: composition for three instruments or voices

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See words rhyming with "trio."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Trio.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - trio, terzet, trekløver

Nederlands (Dutch)
trio, driemanschap

Français (French)
n. - trio

Deutsch (German)
n. - Trio

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - τριάδα, (μουσ., μτφ.) τρίο, τριωδία

Italiano (Italian)
trio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - trio (Mús.) (m), trinca (f), grupo de três (m)

Русский (Russian)
трио

Español (Spanish)
n. - trío

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - trio

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
三重唱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 三重唱

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 트리오, 3중주, 셋으로 된 짝

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 三重奏, 三重奏団, 三つ組, 三人組

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مقطوعه موسيقيه لثلاث اصوات أو ثلاث ألات‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שלישייה‬

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