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trifid

[ trahy-fid ]
/ ˈtraɪ fɪd /
|

adjective

cleft into three parts or lobes.

Nearby words

  1. triethylamine,
  2. trifacial,
  3. trifacial neuralgia,
  4. trifecta,
  5. triffid,
  6. trifid foot,
  7. trifle,
  8. trifling,
  9. triflingly,
  10. trifluoperazine

Origin of trifid

First recorded in 1745–55, trifid is from the Latin word trifidus split in three. See tri-, -fid
Related formssub·tri·fid, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for trifid

British Dictionary definitions for trifid

trifid

/ (ˈtraɪfɪd) /

adjective

divided or split into three parts or lobes

Word Origin for trifid

C18: from Latin trifidus from tri- + findere to split
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

Word Origin and History for trifid

trifid

adj.

"divided into three lobes," 1620s, from Latin trifidus "cleft in three," from tri- "three" (see tri-) + -fid. This adjective probably inspired triffid, the name of the three-legged walking poisonous plants in John Wyndham's novel "The Day of the Triffids" (1951).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for trifid

trifid

[ trī′fĭd′ ]

adj.

Divided into three narrow parts or lobes.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.