triad

[trahy-ad, -uhd]

noun

1. a group of three, especially of three closely related persons or things.

2. Chemistry.

   1. an element, atom, or group having a valence of three.

   2. a group of three closely related compounds or elements, as isomers or halides.

3. Music.,  a chord of three tones, especially one consisting of a given tone with its major or minor third and its perfect, augmented, or diminished fifth.

4. Military.,  Triad, the three categories of delivery systems for strategic nuclear weapons, namely bombers, land-based missiles, and missile-firing submarines.

   The report says this missile is required in order to sustain an effective air leg of the Triad.

triad

¹

/ ˈtraɪæd /

noun

1. a group of three; trio

2. chem an atom, element, group, or ion that has a valency of three

3. music a three-note chord consisting of a note and the third and fifth above it

4. an aphoristic literary form used in medieval Welsh and Irish literature

5. the US strategic nuclear force, consisting of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and bombers

Triad

²

/ ˈtraɪæd /

noun

1. any of several Chinese secret societies, esp one involved in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking

Other Word Forms

• triadic adjective
• triadism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of triad¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin triad- (stem of trias ), from Greek triás; tri-, -ad ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of triad¹

C16: from Late Latin trias , from Greek; related to Greek treis three

Example Sentences

And Northrop Grumman, maker of the B-21 Raider bomber and Sentinel ICBM, two legs of America’s “modernized” nuclear triad, has seen its shares increase by more than 1,400%.

From Salon

Dave McKelvey, managing director of TM Eye private investigators, which works with tobacco firms to gather evidence on the illicit trade, claims that Fujian-based Chinese triads operate a "vast business" here in the UK.

From BBC

Beijing, the senior partner in the triad, seeks to be the stable leader of a new world order, one that is not led by the US.

From BBC

The number three speaks to the idea of balance and the mystical idea that certain energies can only be accessed through triads.

From Salon

But the land-based part of the triad is actually the opposite of deterrence — it’s an invitation to be attacked.

From Salon

Related Words

• triumvirate