tierce

[ teers ]

/ tɪərs /

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noun

an old measure of capacity equivalent to one third of a pipe, or 42 wine gallons.

a cask or vessel holding this quantity.

Also terce

[turs] /tɜrs/ .Ecclesiastical. the third of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, originally fixed for the third hour of the day (or 9 a.m.).

Fencing. the third of eight defensive positions.

Piquet. a sequence of three cards of the same suit, as an ace, king, and queen (tierce major ), or a king, queen, and jack (tierce minor ).

Obsolete. a third or third part.

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Origin of tierce

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, feminine of tiers, from Latin tertius “third”; see third

Words nearby tierce

tiepin, tie plate, tie plug, Tiepolo, tier, tierce, tierced, tierce de Picardie, tiercel, tierceron, tiered

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tierce in a sentence

You strike high tierce like lightning and your blade is back in guard—oh yes!
Greifenstein|F. Marion Crawford
And he killed him with a beautiful feint and thrust in tierce.
In Search of Mademoiselle|George Gibbs
Occasionally they bought a cask—a tierce of forty-two gallons—and bottled it at home.
London|Walter Besant
At tierce they are rung three times, for the second, third, and fourth hours which are then chanted.
Churches and Church Ornaments|William Durandus

This letter announced a small barrel of biscuit, a tierce of wine, a half tierce of brandy, and a Dutch cheese.
Perils and Captivity|Charlotte-Adlade [ne Picard] Dard

British Dictionary definitions for tierce

tierce

/ (tɪəs) /

noun

a variant of terce

the third of eight basic positions from which a parry or attack can be made in fencing

(tɜːs) cards a sequence of three cards in the same suit

an obsolete measure of capacity equal to 42 wine gallons

Word Origin for tierce

C15: from Old French, feminine of tiers third, from Latin tertius

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012