tertiary

[tur-shee-er-ee, tur-shuh-ree]

adjective

1. of the third order, rank, stage, formation, etc.; third.

2. Chemistry.

   1. noting or containing a carbon atom united to three other carbon atoms.

   2. formed by replacement of three atoms or groups.

3. (initial capital letter),  noting or pertaining to the period forming the earlier part of the Cenozoic Era, occurring from 65 million to 2 million years ago, characterized by the development and proliferation of mammals.

4. Ornithology.,  tertial.

5. Ecclesiastical.,  noting or pertaining to a branch, or third order, of certain religious orders that consists of lay members living in community regular tertiaries or living in the world secular tertiaries.

noun

plural

tertiaries 

1. (initial capital letter),  the Tertiary Period or System.

2. Ornithology.,  a tertial feather.

3. (often initial capital letter),  a member of a tertiary branch of a religious order.

4. tertiary color.

Tertiary

¹

/ ˈtɜːʃərɪ /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the first period of the Cenozoic era, which lasted for 63 million years, during which mammals became dominant

noun

1. the Tertiary period or rock system, divided into Palaeocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene epochs or series

tertiary

²

/ ˈtɜːʃərɪ /

adjective

1. third in degree, order, etc

2. (of education) taking place after secondary school, such as at university, college, etc

3. (of an industry) involving services as opposed to extraction or manufacture, such as transport, finance, etc Compare primary secondary

4. RC Church of or relating to a Third Order

5. chem

   1. (of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to three other groups

   2. (of an amine) having three organic groups attached to a nitrogen atom

   3. (of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of all its acidic hydrogen atoms with metal atoms or electropositive groups

6. Also called: tertial. rare,  ornithol of, relating to, or designating any of the small flight feathers attached to the part of the humerus nearest to the body

noun

1. Also called: tertial. rare,  ornithol any of the tertiary feathers

2. RC Church a member of a Third Order

tertiary

1. Tertiary. The first period of the Cenozoic Era, from about 65 to 2 million years ago. During this time the continents took on their present form, and the climate changed from being warmer and wetter, in the early part of the period, to being drier and cooler in the later part. Mammals replaced dinosaurs as the dominant form of terrestrial animal life, and many modern types of flowering plants, insects, mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds appeared. The Tertiary is subdivided into the Paleogene and the Neogene, although these terms are not as widely used as are the names of the epochs that constitute them.

2. See Chart at geologic time

1. 1. Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to three other carbon atoms in a molecule.

   2. Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a tertiary carbon.

2. Relating to an advanced level of medical care, usually provided by subspecialists after the delivery of primary medical care.

3. Compare primary secondary

Other Word Forms

• post-Tertiary adjective
• pre-Tertiary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tertiary¹

1540–50; < Latin tertiārius of third part or rank, equivalent to terti ( us ) third + -ārius -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of tertiary¹

C16: from Latin tertiārius containing one third, from tertius third

Example Sentences

Another week, another named storm barrels in with a report exposing the worrying state of tertiary education.

From BBC

The tertiary bariatric unit at his hospital had witnessed a "significant rise in complications" from similar procedures in the country, he told the hearing.

From BBC

Gengdan Institute now joins a list of tertiary institutions across the country that have come under fire for what many see as overbearing and ham-fisted attempts at controlling their students.

From BBC

The beach is broken up into three areas by the RNLI, which are primary, where the lifeguards are based, the secondary area, which are patrolled and a tertiary or third area which is not patrolled.

From BBC

However, things get a little shaky when it comes to plotting and tertiary characters.

From Salon