three 
The three R's. Sec It.- The Three Sisters. See sis- 
ter. Three-armed cross, a figure composed of three 
lines parting from a common center, either in the form of 
a Y (see Y-cross), or composed of three hooka as if a figure 
in revolution, or of three arms broken at an angle, and 
bending all in the same direction. See trixkrle. Three- 
card monte. See numte. - Three-cylinder Steam-en- 
gine^^ triple expansion-cylinder steam-engine. See . <t<-tiu<- 
engine. Three-day fever, dengue. Three-em brace, 
in printing, a brace three ems wide. Three estates. 
See estate, . -Three-field system. See field. Three 
hours. SeeAoM/-. Three kings of Cologne. Seefrinj/i. 
Three-line letter, teprSueng, an initial letter which 
is the height of three lines of the face of the type of the 
text in which it is used. Three-mile limit, zone, or 
belt. Sec mile. Three-million bill. See million^. 
Three sheets in the wind. See a sheet in the wind, 
under sheets Three thirdst, three threadst, a mix- 
ture of three malt liquors, formerly in demand, as equal 
parts of ale, beer, and twopenny. Compare entire and 
porterS. 
Ezekiel Driver, of Puddle-dock, carman, having disor- 
der'd his pia nmter with too plentiful a morning's draught 
of three-threads and old Pharaoh, had the misfortune to 
have his cart run over him. 
Tom Brown, Works, II. 280. (Dames.) 
Three times three, three cheers thrice repeated. 
Again the feast, the speech, the glee, . . . 
The crowning cup, the three-times-three. 
Tennyson, In Memoriam, Conclusion. 
Before I sit down I must give you a toast to be drunk 
with three-times-three and all the honours. 
T. Hughes, Tom Brown at Rugby, 1. 6. 
Three treest, the gallows, formed by a transverse beam 
on two uprights. 
For commonly such knaues as these 
Doe end their lyves vpon three trees. 
Breton, Toyes of an Idle Head, p. 28. (Dames.) 
II. n. 1. A number the sum of two and one. 
2. A symbol representing three units, as 3, 
III, or iii. 3. A playing-card bearing three 
spots or pips Inverse rule of three. See inverse. 
Rule of three. Seerafei. 
three-aged (thre'ajd), a. Living during three 
generations. [Bare.] 
Great Atreus' sons, Tydides flxt above, 
With three-aged Nestor. Creech, tr. of Manilius. 
three-awned (thre'and), a. Having three awns. 
Three-awned grass, an American grass, Aristidapur- 
jntrascens; also, A. purpurea, purple three-awned grass. 
The latter is of some consequence as wild feed in the 
West. Also beard-grass. 
three-bearded (thre'ber"ded), a. Having three 
barbels: as, the three-bearded rockling, cod, or 
gade (a fish, Motella vulgaris). 
three-birds (thre'berds), n. A species of toad- 
flax, Linaria triornithophnrti (see toad-flux) ; 
also, Fogonia pendula. See Pogonia. 
three-bodied (thre'bod'id), a. Having three 
bodies. [Bare.] 
I Caia \l:nili:i, daughter to Cains Manlius, doe carie 
with me mine owne present, for I giue my condemned 
soule and life to the infernall three-bodycd Pluto. 
Guevara, Letters (tr. by Hellowes, 1577), p. 336. 
three-COat (thre'kot), a. Having or requiring 
three Coats, (a) In plastering, noting work which 
consists of pricking-up or roughing-in, floating, and a 
finishing coat. (b) In house-painting, noting work when 
three successive layers of paint are required. 
three-cornered (thre'kor"nerd), . 1. Having 
three corners or angles: as, a three-cornered 
hat. 2. In bot., triquetrous. Three-cornered 
constituency, a constituency in which, while three mem- 
bers are returned at one election, each elector can vote 
for only two candidates. This enables a large minority 
to elect one of the three members, the majority electing 
the other two. There were several British constituen- 
cies of this complexion from 1867 to 1885. 
three-decker (thre'dek"er), n. and a. I. n. A 
vessel of war carrying guns on three decks ; 
formerly, a line-pf-battle ship, such ships be- 
ing of that description in the sailing navy and 
the earlier naval classification after the intro- 
duction of steam. 
Before the gentlemen, as they stood at the door, could 
. . . settle the number of three-deckers now in commission, 
their companions were ready to proceed. 
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, xli. 
II. . Having three decks : as, a three-decker 
ship; hence, having three stories, tiers, or lev- 
els, as a piece of furniture or an old-fashioned 
pulpit. [Colloq.] 
A three-decker sideboard, about 1700. 
S. If". Ogam, Antique Furniture, plate 32. 
three-dimensional (thre'di-men"shon-al), a. 
Same as tridimensifmiil . 
three-farthings (thre'far"THingz), . An Eng- 
lish silver coin of 
the value of three 
farthings (1-J cents), 
issued by Queen 
Elizabeth. On the ob- 
verse were the queen's 
bust and a rose. It was 
Museum. (Size of uorigin 
t*M 
to be cracked. 
6308 
Jly face so thin 
That in my ear I durst not stick a rose. 
Lest men should say, "Look, where three-farthings goes!" 
Shak., K. John, i. 1. 143. 
He values me at a crack'd three-farthings, for aught I 
see. B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, ii. 1. 
threefold (thre'fold), a. and n. [< ME. tlirc- 
I'old, tlirrorolrl, llirej'fil<l,< AS. tlirifrnld, thrie- 
't'f-Hld, tlirirfuld, tli reofeald (= OFrics. Hirtfnld = 
MLG. dreralt, drivdlt = OHG. drifatt, MHG. 
drive/It = Icel. threfaldr; also, with added adj. 
termination, = D. drievoudig = OHG. drifalt, 
MHG. drivalt, dnraltec, G. dreifaltig = Sw. tre- 
fuldig = Dan. trefoldig), < threo, three, + -feald, 
E. -fold-.} I. a. Consisting of three in one, 
or one thrice repeated ; multiplied by three ; 
triple : as, threefold justice. 
A threefold cord is not quickly broken. Eccles. iv. 12. 
II. . The bog-bean, Menyanthes trifoliata. 
threefold (thre'fold), adv. In a threefold man- 
ner ; trebly ; thrice : often used in an intensive 
way, with the sense of 'much' or 'greatly.' 
Alas, you three, on me, threefold distress'd, 
Pour all your tears ! Shak., Rich. III., ii. 2. 86. 
Thick and threefold. See thick. 
three-foot (thre'fut), a. [< ME. "threfote, < AS. 
thriefet, thryfet, tlirjjfete, three-foot; as three + 
foot. Cf. tripod.] 1. Measuring three feet: 
as, a three-foot rule. 2. Having three feet; 
three-footed. 
When on my three-foot stool I sit. 
Shak., Cymbeline, iii. 3. 89. 
three-footed (thre'fut'ed), a. [< ME.*threfoted, 
< AS. thryfotad, three-footed; as three + foot 
+ -erf 2 .] Having three feet: as, a three-footed 
stool. 
three-girred (thre'gerd), a. Surrounded with 
three hoops. Burns. [Scotch.] 
three-halfpence (thre'ha'pens), . An Eng- 
lish silver coin of the value of three halfpence 
(3 cents), issued by Queen Elizabeth; also, a 
silver coin of William IV. and Queen Victoria, 
formerly issued for circulation in Ceylon. 
three-handed (thre'han'ded), a. 1. Having 
three hands. 2. Done, played, etc., with three 
hands or by three persons: as, three-handed eu- 
chre. Three-handed boring. See boring. 
threeheadt, [ME. threhed (= G. dreiheit); 
< three + head.] Trinity. 
A God and ane Lord yn threhed, 
And thre persons yn anehede. 
Religious Pieces (E. E. T. 8.), p. 59. 
three-hooped (thre'hdpt), a. Having three 
hoops Three-hooped pot, a quart pot. See Aoopi, 5. 
The three-hooped pot shall have ten hoops ; and I will 
make it felony to drink small beer. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iv. 2. 72. 
three-leaved (thre'levd), a. In hot., having 
three leaves or leaflets, as many species of Tri- 
folium; trifoliate or trifoliolate Three-leaved 
grass, an old book -name for clover. Three-leaved ivy. 
see poison-ivy. Three-leaved nightshade, a plant of 
the genus Trillium. 
three-light (thre'llt), . A chandelier or can- 
delabrum with three lamps for candles. 
threeling (thre'ling), . Same as trilling, 2. 
three-lobed (thre'lobd), a. In hot., zoitl,, and 
mutt., having three lobes; trilobate Three- 
lobed malope. See Malope. 
three-man (thre'man), a. Requiring three men 
for its use ov performance. 
Fillip me with a three-man beetle. 
Shak., 2 Hen. IV., i. 2. 256. 
A three-man songt, a song for three voices. 
Thret-man-song-men all. Shak., W. T., iv. 3. 43. 
three-masted (thre'mas"ted), a. Having three 
masts. 
three-master (thre'mas"ter), n. A three-mast- 
ed vessel, especially such a schooner. 
three-nerved (thre'nervd), a. In hot., having 
three nerves; triple-nerved. 
threeness(thre'nes), n. [< three + -ness.] The 
character of being three. 
three-out (thre 'out), n. One of three equal 
parts of two glasses, as of gin or ale ; a third 
part of two portions or helpings. [Colloq., 
Great Britain.] 
On one side a little crowd has collected round a couple 
of ladies, who, having imbibed the contents of various 
three-outs of gin and bitters in the course of the morning, 
have at length differed on some point of domestic arrange- 
ment. Dickens, Sketches, Scenes, v. 
threep, '. and . See threap. 
three-parted (thre'par"ted), a. Divided into 
three parts ; tripartite : as, a three-parted leaf. 
threepence (thre'pens, colloq. thrip'ens), n. 1. 
A current English' silver coin of the value of 
three pennies (6 cents), issued by Queen Vic- 
three-quarter 
toria. Usually called tiuvepetmy-fiece or thrce- 
)>riiHil. A silver coin of the same denomination was 
ootmd hy Kdwnnl VI. and by subsequent sovereigns till 
Obverse. Reverse. 
Threepence of Elizabeth. British Museum. (Size of the original.) 
1662, from which time till the reign of Victoria the three- 
pence was struck only as maundy money and not for gen- 
eral circulation. 
2. The sum or amount of three pennies. 
What monstrous and most painful circumstance 
Is here, to get some three or four gazettes, 
Some threepence in the whole ! 
B. Jonson, Volpone, ii. 1. 
threepenny (thre'pen'i, eolloq. thrip'en-i), a. 
and n. I. . Worth three pence only; hence, 
of little worth. 
II. n. Same as threepence, 1. 
threepenny-piece, . Same as threepence, 1. 
three-per-cents (thre'per-sents), . pi. Govern- 
ment stocks paying three percent.; specifical- 
ly, "that portion of the consolidated debt of 
Great Britain which originated in 1752 in conse- 
quence of some annuities granted by George I. 
being consolidated in one fund with a three per 
cent, stock formed in 1731" (Kithell, Counting- 
House Dictionary). 
three-pilet (thre'pil), . [< three + pile 4 , 6.] 
Three-piled velvet. 
I have served i'rince Florizel, and in my time wore three- 
pile. Shak., W. T., iv. 3. 14. 
three-piledt (thre'pild), a. [< three + pile*, 6, 
-f- -$.] Having a triple pile or nap, as a cost- 
ly kind of velvet (called three-pile) ; hence, fig- 
uratively, having the qualities of three-pile. 
Three-piled hyperboles, spruce affectation. 
Shak., L. L. L., v. 2. 407. 
three-ply (thre'pli), a. Threefold; consisting 
of three parts or thicknesses. Especially (a) 
Noting thread or cord composed of three yarns or strands. 
(b) Noting textile fabrics consisting of three webs woven 
one into the other : as, a three-ply carpet, (c) In manufac- 
tured articles, consisting of three thicknesses, as of linen 
in a three-ply collar or cutf. 
three-pound piece (thre'pouud pes). An Eng- 
lish gold coin of the value of 3 (about 814.52), 
Reverse. 
Three pound Piece. British Museun 
(Size of the original.) 
struck by Charles I. during the civil war A. D. 
1642-1644. Specimens weigh over 421 grains. 
three-quarter, three-quarters (thre'kwar'ter, 
-terz), . Involving anything three fourths of 
its normal size or proportions ; specifically, not- 
ing a size of portraiture measuring 30 inches 
by 25, or a portrait dolincated to the hips only. 
