terce

[turs]

noun

Ecclesiastical.

1. a variant of tierce.

terce

/ tɜːs /

noun

1. RC Church the third of the seven canonical hours of the divine office, originally fixed at the third hour of the day, about 9 a.m.

Word History and Origins

Origin of terce¹

a variant of _tierce

Example Sentences

Derived from the Liturgy of the Hours standardized by Benedictine monks starting in the 6th century on, it schedules specific sets of prayers at specific times of day — with names like lauds, prime, terce, etc.

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We whitewashed no more than the fourth part of the roof before the church bells rang terce, the hour for our lessons to begin.

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Since the 6th century the number and order of the hours have been fixed thus: matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, compline.

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Thou wilt have no terce from my earldom, wherein I am not yet feudally seised.

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Thus Pliny, the younger, in writing to Tacitus, says, “I have received the past year some twenty-five thousand ses terces more than yourself—in the way of legacies—but don't be jealous!”

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