ternate
adjective
consisting of three; arranged in threes.
ternate
1 American
[tur-nit, -neyt]
/ ˈtɜr nɪt, -neɪt /
adjective
-
consisting of three; arranged in threes.
-
Botany.
-
consisting of three leaflets, as a compound leaf.
-
having leaves arranged in whorls of three, as a plant.
-
Ternate
2
American
[ter -nah-te, ter-nah-tee]
/ tɛrˈnɑ tɛ, tərˈnɑ ti /
noun
ternate
British
/ ˈtɜːnɪt, -neɪt /
adjective
-
(esp of a leaf) consisting of three leaflets or other parts
-
(esp of plants) having groups of three members
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ternate
From the New Latin word ternātus, dating back to 1745–55. See tern 2, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The radical leaves are stalked, well thrown out, drooping, and over 1ft. long, ternate and villous; the leaflets are pinnatifid and deeply toothed.
From Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies. by Wood, John
Leaves all ternate; stems erect, or weak and ascending; achenes often small and light-colored.—Minn. to Mo., N. Mex., and westward.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa
Cones dehiscent at maturity 52. virginiana Cones serotinous 53. clausa Leaves ternate.
From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell
Biternate, twice ternate; i. e. principal divisions three, each bearing three leaflets, 59.
From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa
Leaves ternate, from 12 to 20 cm. long; resin-ducts medial or medial and internal, hypoderm biform.
From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell
The party aimed for Ternate, an island in Indonesia, 800 miles from their shipwreck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Indonesian officials said two Singaporeans and one local resident from the nearby city of Ternate had died.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
What was the result of Portugal’s effort to Christianize the subjects of the Sultanate of Ternate?
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
The KM Cahaya Arafah had left the seaport on Ternate Island on Monday morning and was heading to West Gane subdistrict in South Halmahera district.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2022
Wallace had no knowledge this was happening; he was too far away, in Ternate, Indonesia, for them to let him know in time.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
