trio

[tree-oh]

noun

plural

trios 

1. a musical composition for three voices or instruments.

2. a company of three singers or players.

3. any group of three persons or things.

4. a subordinate division of a minuet, scherzo, march, etc., usually in a contrasted key and style (perhaps originally written for three instruments or in three parts).

trio

/ ˈtriːəʊ /

noun

1. a group of three people or things

2. music

   1. a group of three singers or instrumentalists or a piece of music composed for such a group

   2. a subordinate section in a scherzo, minuet, etc, that is contrastive in style and often in a related key

3. piquet three cards of the same rank

Word History and Origins

Origin of trio¹

1715–25; < Italian, equivalent to tri- tri- + ( du ) o two

Word History and Origins

Origin of trio¹

C18: from Italian, ultimately from Latin trēs three; compare _duo

Example Sentences

The star trio played together for several months last year after Doncic joined the Lakers in a blockbuster trade, helping the team grab the third seed in the Western Conference.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She marched the trio through the halls until they reached the entryway, where a large, dreary painting loomed.

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It was not the nicest story to tell a trio of siblings, after all, especially at such a pleasant breakfast.

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To all appearances, the trio of barking, nipping, squirrel-chasing imps had been raised by wolves, and this was why they were not, strictly speaking, ordinary children.

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The trio's music video for "Catallena" has more than 35 million views on YouTube.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• threesome 
• trilogy 
• triumvirate