termitine 
termitine (tei-'mi-tiii), . and n. [< trrmitc + 
-iHf 1 .] I. a. Resembling or related to white 
ants ; belonging to the Termitidse. 
II. >i. A white ant; a termite. 
termitophile (ter'mi-to-fil), . [< NL. "termito- 
philus: see tcrmitopliilous.~] An insect which 
lives in the nests of white ants. Insects of sev- 
eral orders are found in those nests, notably 
members of the rove-beetle genus Philotermes. 
termitophilons (ter-mi-tof'i-lus), a. [< NL. 
"tcrinitopliilua, < terines (tcrmit-), termite, + Gr. 
<jii/.clv, love.] Fond of termites : noting insects 
which live in the nests of white ants. E. A. 
Schicars, Proe. Entom. Soc., Washington, 1. 160. 
termless (term'les), a. [< term + -less.'] 1. 
Having no term or end; unlimited; boundless; 
endless; limitless. 
Ne hath their day, ne hath their blisse, an end, 
But there their termelesse time in pleasure spend. 
Spenser, Hymn of Heavenly Love, 1. 75. 
2. Nameless ; inexpressible ; indescribable. 
[Bare.] 
His phoenix down began but to appear 
Like unshorn velvet on that termless skin. 
Shalt., Lover's Complaint, 1. 94. 
termly (term'li), a. [<tem + -ly l .~\ Occurring, 
paid, etc., every term. 
The clerks are partly rewarded by that mean also [petty 
fees], . . . besides that termly fee which they are allowed. 
Bacon, Office of Alienations. 
termly (term'li), adv. [< term + -lyV.~\ Term 
by term ; every term. 
The fees, or allowances, that are termly given to these 
deputies, receiver, and clerks, for reconipence of these 
their pains, I do purposely pretermit. 
Bacon, Office of Alienations. 
If there was any particular thing in the business of the 
house which you disliked, ... I would . . . put it in or- 
der for you termly, or weekly, or daily. Scott, Rob Roy, ii. 
termor (ter'mor), n. [< term + -or 1 .] In law, 
one who has an estate for a term of years or 
for life. Also termer. 
term-piece (term'pes), n. Same as term, 5. 
termysont, >* Termination. Piers Plowman 
(C), iv. 409. 
tern 1 (tern), H. [Also tarn; < Dan. terne = 
Sw. tnrna = Icel. therna, a tern. Some connect 
tern 1 with ME. tame, theme, girl, maid-servant, 
G. dirne, etc. (see theme); but the connec- 
tion is not obvious.] A bird of the family 
Laridx and subfamily Sterninee; a stern or sea- 
swallow. Terns differ from gulls in their smaller aver- 
age size (though a few of them are much larger than some 
gulls), slenderer body, usually long and deeply forked tail, 
very small feet, and especially in the relatively longer and 
slenderer bill, which is paragnathons instead of hypog- 
nathous (but some of the stouter terns, as the gull-billed, 
are little different in this respect from some of the smaller 
gulls, as of the genus Chroicocephalus). To the slender form 
of the body, with sharp-pointed wings and forflcate tail, 
conferring a buoyant and dashing flight, the terns owe 
their name sea-swallow. The characteristic coloration is 
snow-white, sometimes rose-tinted, with pearly-blue 
mantle, silver-black primaries, jet-black cap, and coral- 
red, yellow, or black bill and feet ; some terns (the noddies) 
are sooty-brown. A few are chiefly black (genus Hydro- 
chelidon) ; some have a black mantle (Sterna fuliffinosa, 
the sooty tern, type of the subgenus Haliplana) ; the genus 
Gygis is pure-white ; and Inca is slaty-black, with curly 
white plumes on the head. Several species abound in 
most countries, both inland over large bodies of water and 
coastwise, and some of them are almost cosmopolitan in 
their range. The sexes are alike in color, but the changes 
of plumage with age and season are considerable. The 
eggs, two or three in number, and heavily spotted, are 
laid on the ground (rarely in a frail nest on bushes), gen- 
erally on the shingle of the sea-shore, sometimes in a tus- 
sock of grass in marshes. Most terns congregate in large 
numbers during the breeding-season. (See egg-bird.) The 
voice is peculiarly shrill and querulous ; the food is small 
flshes and other aquatic animals, procured by dashing 
down into the water on the wing. From 60 to 75 species 
are recognized by different ornithologists, mostly belong- 
ing to the genus Sterna or its subdivisions. See phrases 
below. Aleutian tern, Sterna aleutica, a tern white 
with very dark pearl-gray upper parts, a white crescent 
in the black cap, and black bill. It resembles the sooty 
terns. Arctic tern, Sterna paradisea, or S. arctica, or 
S. macrura, a tern with extremely long and deeply forked 
tail, very small coral- or lake-red feet, lake- or carmine- 
red bill, rather dark pearl-blue plumage, little paler be- 
low than above, and black cap. It is from 14 to 17 inches 
long according to the varying development of the fila- 
mentous lateral tail-feathers, and about SO In extent of 
wings. This tern chiefly inhabits arctic and cold temper- 
ate parts of both hemispheres. Its synonymy is intri- 
cate, owing to confusion of names with the common and 
roseate terns, and the description of its varying plumages 
under specific designations. Black tern, any tern of the 
genus Hydrochelidon ; specifically, H. fissipes or larifar- 
mis. The white-winged black tern is U. Imcoptera. The 
whiskered black tern is H. leucoparia. There are others. 
These are marsh-terns of most parts of the world, with 
semipalmate feet, comparatively short and little-forked 
tail, extremely ample as well as long wings, black bill, 
dark feet, and most of the plumage of the adults black or 
of some dark ashy shade. Boys's tern, the Sandwich 
tern, one of whose former names was Sterna boysi, after 
Dr. Boys of Kent, England. Bridled tern, Sterna (Hali- 
plana) ansesthetica, a member of the sooty tern group, 
found in some of the warmer parts of the world. The 
6244 
frontal Innule Is very long, the feet are scarcely more 
than semipalmate, and the length is 14 or 15 inches. 
Cabot's tern, the American Sandwich tern, which Dr. 
Cabot once named Sterna acuflavida. Caspian tern, 
Sterna (Thalasseus') caspia; the imperial tern. It is the 
largest tern known, being from 20 to 23 inches long, and 4 
to 4J feet in spread of wings ; it is white, with pearl mantle, 
black cap and feet, and red bill. It is widely distributed 
in Asia, America, and elsewhere. The name S. tschegrava 
was given to it by Lepechin, before Pallas named it caspia. 
Cayenne tern, Sterna (Thalasseus) maxima, formerly S. 
cayennensis or cayana, the largest tern of America except 
the imperial, 18 or 20 inches long, and from 42 to 44 in ex- 
tent. It is white, with pearl mantle, black cap and feet, 
and coral or yellow bill. It inhabits much of both Amer- 
icas, and is common along the Atlantic coast of the United 
States. See cut under Thalasseus. Common tern, Ster- 
na hirundo, a bird of most parts of the world, about 14J 
inches long, 31 in extent, and with pearly-white under 
parts, pearl mantle, black cap, coral feet, and vermilion 
black-tipped bill. It is needlessly named Wilson's tern. 
Also called gull-teaser, kirr-mew, picket, picktarny, pirr, 
rippock, rittock, scray, spurre, tamy, tarret, tarrock. 
See cut under Sterna. Ducal tern, the Sandwich tern. 
Coues, 1884. Elegant tern, Sterna (Thalasseus) elegans, 
a bird of South and Central America and the Pacific 
coast of the United States, resembling the Cayenne tern. 
W. Oambel. Emperor tern. See emperor. Fairy 
tern, a fairy-bird; one of the least terns. Forster'S 
tern. Sterna forsteri, an American tern abounding in 
the United States and British America. It closely re- 
sembles but is distinct from the common tern, as was 
first noted in 1834 by Thomas Nuttall, who dedicated it 
to John Reinhold Forster. Greater tern, the common 
tern. Gull-billed tern, a marsh-tern, Sterna (Qelo- 
chelidon) anglica : so called from its thick bill. See cut 
under Qelocttelidon. Havell'8 tern, Forster's tern in 
immature plumage. Audubon, 1839. Hooded tern, a 
rare name of the least tern. Imperial tern, the Ameri- 
can Caspian tern, Sterna (Thalasseus) imperator. Coues, 
1862. Kentish tern, the Sandwich tern. Least terns, 
the small terns which constitute the subgenus Sternula, 
of several species. That of Europe is S. minuta; of Amer- 
ica, 5. antiUarum; of South Africa, 5. balsenarum, etc. 
They are the smallest of the family, of the usual colora- 
tion, but with a white crescent in the black cap, yellow 
bill tipped with black, and yellow or orange feet ; the tail 
is not deeply forked ; the length is 9 inches or less. See cut 
under Sternula. Marsh-tern, (a) The gull-billed tern. 
(b) A black tern ; any member of the genus Hydrochelidon. 
See cut under Bydrochelidon. Noddy tern. Seenoddj/i, 
2, and Anous. Panay temt, an old name of the bridled 
tern, considered a distinct species under the name Sterna 
panaymsii. Latham, 1786. Paradise tern, the roseate 
tern : a name derived from Sterna paradisea of Briinnich, 
1784, which is of doubtful identification, and probably 
means the arctic tern. Portland tern, a young arctic 
tern : named from the city of Portland in Maine. B. 
Kidgway, 1874. Princely tern, theelegant tern. Couei, 
1884. Roseate tern. See roseate. Royal tern, the 
Cayenne tern. W. Oambel. Sandwich tern Sterna (Tha- 
lasseus) cantiaca, a tern originally described from Kent, 
England, and in some of its forms found in most parts of 
the world. It has many technical names. The American 
Ternate Leaves. 
I. Of Cytisus La. 
burnum. a. Of Sil- 
fhittm trifoliatum. 
Sandwich Tern (Sterna cantiaca}. 
form has been distinguished as S. aniflarula. This is one 
of the smallest of the large terns (section Thalasseus), and 
has a long and slender black bill tipped with yellow, black 
feet and cap, pearl mantle, and the general plumage white, 
as usual. It is 15 or 16 inches long. Sea-tern, a name of 
several terns, especially of the large species of the section 
Thalasseus, which are mainly maritime. Short- tailed 
tern. See short-tailed. Sooty tern. See sooty. Suri- 
nam tem, an old name of the common black short-tailed 
tern of North America, Hydrochelidon fissipes, called H. fis- 
sipes surinamensis when it is subspecincally distinguished 
from its European conspecies a. fissipes. Trudeau's 
tern, S. trudeaui, a South American tern supposed by Au- 
dubon (1839) to occur also in the United States. It is of 
about the size of the common tern, of a pearly-bluish 
color all over, whitening on the head, and with a yellow or 
orange bill.-- Whiskered tern, Hydrochelidonleucoparia 
(after Natterer in Temminck's "Manual," 1820), one of the 
black terns, with a large white stripe on each side of the 
head. Wilson's tern. See com man tem. 
tern 2 (tern), a. and n. [= F. terne, a three (in 
dice), three numbers (in a lottery), = Pr. terna 
= Sp. terna, terno = Pg. It. terno, n., a set of 
three, < L. ternus, pi. terni, three each, < tres, 
three (tec, thrice): see three.] I. a. Same as 
ternate. 
II. n. 1. That which consists of three things 
or numbers together; specifically, a prize in a 
lottery gained by drawing three favorable num- 
bers, or the three numbers so drawn. 
She'd win a tern in Thursday's lottery. 
Mrs. Browning, Aurora Leigh, vii. 
2. In math., a system of three pairs of con- 
jugate trihedra which together contain the 
Ternstrcemiaceae 
twenty-seven straight lines lying in a cubic 
surface. 
tern 3 (tern), . [Origin uncertain.] A three- 
masted schooner; a three-master. [Local, New 
Eng.] 
ternal (ter'nal), a. [< ML. tcrnalis (used as a 
noun), < L. terni, by threes: see te- 2 .] Con- 
sisting of three each; threefold Ternal prop- 
osition. See proposition. 
ternary (ter'na-ri), . and n. [= F. terna in- = 
Pr. ternari = >p. Pg. It. terario,<. LL. ternarius, 
consisting of threes, < L. terni, by threes: see 
tern 2 .'] I. a. Proceeding by threes; consisting 
of three : as, a ternary flower (that is, one hav- 
ing three members in each cycle) ; a ternary 
chemical substance (that is, one composed of 
three elements). Ternary compounds, in oldchem., 
combinations of binary compounds with each other, as of 
sulphuric acid with soda in Glauber's salt. Ternary 
cubic. See cubic. Ternary form, in music. Same as 
rondo form (which see, under rondo). Ternary mea- 
sure or time, in music. Same as triple rhythm (which 
see, under rhythm, 2 (6)). Ternary quadrics. See 
quadric. 
II. n.; pi. ternaries (-nz). Thenumberthree; 
a group of three. 
Of the second ternary of stanzas [in " The Progress of 
Poetry "J, the first endeavours to tell something. 
Johnson, Gray. 
Ternatan (ter-na'tan), a. [< Ternate (see def.) 
+ -an.'] Of or pertaining to Ternate, an island, 
town, and Dutch possession in the East Indies : 
specifically noting a kingfisher of the genus 
Tanysiptera. 
ternate (ter'nat), a. [< NL. ternatus, ar- 
ranged in threes, < L. terni, by threes: see 
ter a .] Arranged in threes; 
characterized by an arrange- 
ment of parts by threes ; in bot., 
used especially of a compound 
leaf with three leaflets, or of 
leaves whorled in threes, if 
the three divisions of a ternate leaf 
are subdivided into three leaflets each, 
the leaf is biternate, and a still further 
subdivision produces a triternate leaf. 
See also cut of Thalictntm, under leaf. 
ternately (ter'nat-li), adv. In a 
ternate manner; so as to form groups of three. 
ternatisect (ter-nat'i-sekt), a. [< NL. ternatus, 
in threes, + L. secure, pp. status, cut.] In bot., 
cut into three lobes or partial divisions. 
ternatopinnate (ter-na-to-pin'at), . [< NL. 
ternatus, in threes, + L. pinnatus, feathered : 
see pinnate."] In bot., noting a compound leaf 
with three pinnate divisions. 
terne 1 )-, n. A Middle English form of tarn 1 . 
terne 2 (tern), . [Short f or terne-plate.'] Same 
as terne-plate. 
terne-plate (tern'plat), n. [< F. terne, dull, 
+ E. plate.] An inferior kind of tin-plate, in 
making which the tin used is alloyed with a 
large percentage of lead. It is chiefly used for roof- 
ing, and for lining packing-cases to protect valuable 
goods from damage in transportation by sea. 
ternery (ter'uer-i), n.; pi. ferneries (-iz). [< tern 1 
+ -ery.] A place where terns or sea-swallows 
breed in large numbers. 
ternion (ter'ni-on), n. [< LL. ternio(n-), the 
number three, < L. terni, by threes : see tern 2 .] 
If. A group of three. 
So, when Christ's Glory Isay would declare, 
To expresse Three Persons in on Godhead are, 
He, Holy, Holy, Holy nam'd, To show 
We might a Ternion in an Vnion know. 
Heywood, Hierarchy of Angels, p. 72. 
2. In bibliography, a section of paper for a book 
containing three double leaves or twelve pages. 
They say that a given manuscript is composed of qua- 
ternions and of temions, but it never occurs to them either 
to describe the structure of a quaternion, or to say how 
we can distinguish the leaves one from another. 
Amer. Jour. Philol., VII. 27. 
Ternstrcemia (tc-rn-stre'mi-a), . [NL. (Lin- 
na3us filius, 1781), named after the Swedish 
naturalist Ternstrom.'] A genus of polypeta- 
lous plants, type of the order Ternstrvemiacese 
and tribe Ternstrwmiex. It is characterized by 
bracted flowers with free sepals, imbricated petals united 
at the base, smooth basiflxed anthers, and a superior ovary 
with an undivided style and two to three cells each usu- 
ally with two ovules pendulous from the apex. The fruit 
is indehiscent, its seeds large and hippocrepiform, with 
fleshy albumen and an inflexed embryo. There are about 
40 species, mostly of tropical America, with is or 6 in warm 
parts of Asia and the Indian archipelago. They are ever- 
green trees and shrubs, with coriaceous leaves and re- 
curved lateral peduncles which are solitary or clustered 
and bear each a single rather large flower with numerous 
stamens. T. obnvalis is known in the West Indies as scar- 
letseed, and other species as ironwood. The genus is some- 
times known by the name Dtipinia. 
Ternstroemiaceae (tcrn-stre-mi-a'se-e), n. pi. 
[NL. (De Candolle. 1823), < Ternstrcemia + 
