triad

American  

[trahy-ad, -uhd] / ˈtraɪ æd, -əd /

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.

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triad ¹ British  

/ 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

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Triad ² British  

/ ˈtraɪæd /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• triadic adjective
• triadism noun

Etymology

Origin of triad

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

Example Sentences

Artists, mass media, infrastructure — the thriving triad was extraordinary to watch erupt.

From Los Angeles Times

Early on, Evan excitedly announced that our own prior publications had already revealed the location of the spot triad.

From Scientific American

It is also building three vast fields of missile silos while upgrading its missile technology and its “triad,” the methods for delivering nuclear weapons from land, sea and air.

From New York Times

"As before, we will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad," said Putin, referring to nuclear missiles based on land, sea and in the air.

From Reuters

High school physics would have you believe that inside this proton you'll find a simple triad of three fundamental particles called quarks—two up quarks and one down quark.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• triumvirate