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trimonthly

[ trahy-muhnth-lee ]

adjective

  1. occurring, taking place, done, or acted upon every three months.


trimonthly

/ traɪˈmʌnθlɪ /

adjective

  1. every three months
“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


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Word History and Origins

Origin of trimonthly1

First recorded in 1855–60; tri- + monthly

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More About Trimonthly

What does trimonthly mean?

Trimonthly means every three months.

It can be used this way as an adjective, as in a trimonthly meeting, or an adverb, as in We plan to meet trimonthly.

Some people also use trimonthly to mean three times per month, so it’s best to specify which you mean by just saying “three times a month” or “every three months.”

Examples: New episodes of my trimonthly podcast come out in January, April, July, and October.

Where does trimonthly come from>

The first records of the word trimonthly come from the 1850s. The prefix tri- means “three” or “three times.” The suffix -ly, which usually forms adverbs, is used in trimonthly to mean “every.” It’s used in the same way in several other units of time, including hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly.

Different prefixes can be added to monthly to indicate a different period of time. The word bimonthly causes the same kind of confusion as trimonthly since it’s commonly used to mean once every two months or twice per month. In any case, trimonthly is much less commonly used than bimonthly. This may be because trimonthly events are less common or because such events can sometimes be described as quarterly—meaning they happen every quarter, or four times a year.

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What are some synonyms for trimonthly?

  • every three months

What are some words that share a root or word element with trimonthly

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing trimonthly?

 

How is trimonthly used in real life?

Trimonthly usually means “every three months,” but it’s best to specify to avoid confusion.

 

 

Try using trimonthly!

Is trimonthly used correctly in the following sentence?

The magazine will transition from being published monthly to trimonthly.

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