triplet

American  

[trip-lit] / ˈtrɪp lɪt /

noun

1. one of three children or offspring born at the same birth.

2. triplets, three offspring born at one birth.

3. any group or combination of three.

4. Prosody. three successive verses or lines, especially when rhyming and of the same length; a stanza of three lines.

5. Also called tercet.  Music. a group of three notes to be performed in the time of two ordinary notes of the same kind.

6. an assembled imitation gem with three parts, the center one giving the color, the top and bottom, sometimes genuine, supplying the wearing qualities.

7. Genetics. a sequence of three nucleotides; a codon in messenger RNA and an anticodon in transfer RNA.

8. Optics. a compound lens in which three lenses are combined.

9. triplets, (in some card games) three cards of the same denomination.

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triplet British  

/ ˈtrɪplɪt /

noun

1. a group or set of three similar things

2. one of three offspring born at one birth

3. music a group of three notes played in a time value of two, four, etc

4. chem a state of a molecule or free radical in which there are two unpaired electrons

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Etymology

Origin of triplet

First recorded in 1650–60; triple + -et

Example Sentences

"A triplet superconductor is high on the wish list of many physicists working in the field of solid state physics," said Professor Jacob Linder.

From Science Daily

“What did you do, adopt triplets?” the woman in front of them asked when she glanced back.

From Literature

The triplets live on the other side of the neighborhood, so we double back past the homes we’ve already hit.

From Literature

It is the only non-human primate in the top group and usually gives birth to twins or triplets, resulting in a full sibling rate of nearly 78%.

From Science Daily

However, triplets, she said, can be "pretty rare".

From BBC

Related Words

• threesome
• trilogy
• triumvirate