Lexic.us

Definition of Tertiary

1. Adjective. Coming next after the second and just before the fourth in position.

Definition of Tertiary

1. a. Being of the third formation, order, or rank; third; as, a tertiary use of a word.

2. n. A member of the Third Order in any monastic system; as, the Franciscan tertiaries; the Dominican tertiaries; the Carmelite tertiaries. See Third Order, under Third.

Definition of Tertiary

1. Adjective. (geology) Of or pertaining to the first part of the Cenozoic era when modern flora and mammals appeared ¹

2. Noun. (geology) The first part of the Cenozoic era when modern flora and mammals appeared ¹

3. Adjective. Of third rank or order; subsequent. ¹

4. Noun. A tertiary feather. ¹

5. Noun. A member of a Roman Catholic third order - the Franciscans, Dominicans and Carmelites among others. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tertiary

1. a tertial [n -ARIES] - See also: tertial

Medical Definition of Tertiary

1. 1. Being of the third formation, order, or rank; third; as, a tertiary use of a word. 2. Possessing some quality in the third degree; having been subjected to the substitution of three atoms or radicals; as, a tertiary alcohol, amine, or salt. Cf. Primary, and Secondary. 3. Later than, or subsequent to, the Secondary. 4. Growing on the innermost joint of a bird's wing; tertial; said of quills. Tertiary age. The third and last stage of syphilis, in which it invades the bones and internal organs. Origin: L. Tertiarius containing a third part, fr. Tertius third: cf. F. Tertiaire. See Tierce. 1. A member of the Third Order in any monastic system; as, the Franciscan tertiaries; the Dominican tertiaries; the Carmelite tertiaries. See Third Order, under Third. 2. The Tertiary era, period, or formation. 3. One of the quill feathers which are borne upon the basal joint of the wing of a bird. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tertiary

Literary usage of Tertiary

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1920)
".In 1828 and 1829 Lyell conceived the idea that the Tertiary beds might be subdivided according to the percentage of living species in each. ..."

2. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1920)
"For this purpose, he and M. Deshayes, a well-known French conchologist, compared some 3000 Tertiary with about 5000 living species. ..."

3. Elements of Geology: A Text-book for Colleges and for the General Reader by Joseph Le Conte (1903)
"•c Miocene epoch, or Middle Tertiary = 30 per cent living ... On the Atlantic border, going southward, there is no Tertiary, except a small patch on ..."

4. Manual of Geology: Treating of the Principles of the Science with Special by James Dwight Dana (1869)
"It is therefore probable that the Tertiary period was about half as long ... The data for the Post-tertiary are too uncertain for a satisfactory estimate. ..."

5. The Principles and Practice of Surveying by Charles Blaney Breed, George Leonard Hosmer (1908)
"In the tertiary system, the principal use of which is to furnish points for ... The tertiary triangles may have sides anywhere from half a mile to miles in ..."

6. Manual of Geology: Treating of the Principles of the Science, with Special by James Dwight Dana (1863)
"533); and (2) no Tertiary rocks have been observed in the Arctic to prove a submergence ... Hitherto, through the ages to the close of the Tertiary period, ..."

7. Manual of Geology: Treating of the Principles of the Science, with Special by James Dwight Dana (1865)
"533) ; and (2) no Tertiary rocks have been observed in the Arctic to prove a submergence ... Hitherto, through the ages to the close of the Tertiary period, ..."

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