trifid

[ trahy-fid ]

/ ˈtraɪ fɪd /

Save This Word!

adjective

cleft into three parts or lobes.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of trifid

First recorded in 1745–55, trifid is from the Latin word trifidus split in three. See tri-, -fid

OTHER WORDS FROM trifid

sub·tri·fid, adjective

Words nearby trifid

triethyl orthoformate, trifacial, trifacial neuralgia, trifecta, triffid, trifid, trifid foot, trifle, trifling, trifluoperazine, trifluoride

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

How to use trifid in a sentence

With the Restoration, forks were firmly established on the table, alongside the new trifid spoons.
The Strange Way We Eat: Bee Wilson’s ‘Consider the Fork’|Bee Wilson|October 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One of the most exquisite of these modern photographs is that of the Trifid nebula in Sagittarius (Fig. 142).
A Text-Book of Astronomy|George C. Comstock
Canes long to medium, numerous, covered with rather thick blue bloom; tendrils intermittent, bifid and trifid.
The Grapes of New York|U. P. Hedrick
Canes long to medium, of average number, thick; internodes long; tendrils continuous to intermittent, bifid to sometimes trifid.
The Grapes of New York|U. P. Hedrick

Canes large and long, with stiff reddish hairs at base; shoots showing considerable bloom; tendrils intermittent, usually trifid.
The Grapes of New York|U. P. Hedrick
Canes long, not very numerous; tendrils intermittent to rarely continuous, bifid to trifid.
The Grapes of New York|U. P. Hedrick

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