tertiary
[ tur-shee-er-ee, tur-shuh-ree ]
/ ˈtɜr ʃiˌɛr i, ˈtɜr ʃə ri /
adjective
noun, plural ter·ti·ar·ies.
Origin of tertiary
OTHER WORDS FROM tertiary
post-Ter·ti·ar·y, adjective pre-Ter·ti·ar·y, adjectiveWords nearby tertiary
Example sentences from the Web for tertiary
British Dictionary definitions for tertiary (1 of 2)
tertiary
/ (ˈtɜːʃərɪ) /
adjective
noun plural -tiaries
Also called: tertial ornithol rare
any of the tertiary feathers
RC Church
a member of a Third Order
Word Origin for tertiary
C16: from Latin
tertiārius containing one third, from
tertius third
British Dictionary definitions for tertiary (2 of 2)
Tertiary
/ (ˈtɜːʃərɪ) /
adjective
of, denoting, or formed in the first period of the Cenozoic era, which lasted for 63 million years, during which mammals became dominant
noun
the Tertiary
the Tertiary period or rock system, divided into Palaeocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene epochs or series
Medical definitions for tertiary
tertiary
[ tûr′shē-ĕr′ē ]
adj.
Third in place, order, degree, or rank.
Of or relating to salts of acids containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms.
Of or relating to organic compounds in which a group is bound to three nonelementary radicals.
Scientific definitions for tertiary
tertiary
[ tûr′shē-ĕr′ē ]
Noun
Tertiary. The first period of the Cenozoic Era, from about 65 to 2 million years ago. During this time the continents took on their present form, and the climate changed from being warmer and wetter, in the early part of the period, to being drier and cooler in the later part. Mammals replaced dinosaurs as the dominant form of terrestrial animal life, and many modern types of flowering plants, insects, mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds appeared. The Tertiary is subdivided into the Paleogene and the Neogene, although these terms are not as widely used as are the names of the epochs that constitute them. See Chart at geologic time.
Adjective
- Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to three other carbon atoms in a molecule.
- Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a tertiary carbon.
Relating to an advanced level of medical care, usually provided by subspecialists after the delivery of primary medical care. Compare primary secondary.