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tercio. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
tercio, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
tercio in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
tercio you have here. The definition of the word
tercio will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
tercio, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish tercio.
Noun
tercio (plural tercios)
- (bullfighting) Any of the three stages of a bullfight: the vara, the banderilla and finally the death.
- (military) A mutually supportive infantry formation made up of pikemen, swordsmen and arquebusiers or musketeers.
Anagrams
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Spain) /ˈteɾθjo/
- IPA(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /ˈteɾsjo/
- Rhymes: -eɾθjo
- Rhymes: -eɾsjo
- Syllabification: ter‧cio
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Latin tertius. Doublet of tercia.
Adjective
tercio (feminine tercia, masculine plural tercios, feminine plural tercias)
- (fractional number) third, one of three equal parts
Noun
tercio m (plural tercios)
- (fractional number) third, one of three equal parts
- (bullfighting) tercio
- 0.33 liter bottle of beer
- Coordinate term: caña
A mí me pones un tercio.- Give me a beer.
Usage notes
- This word is used to express the denominator of a fraction:
Un tercio del total de la población sufre de obesidad.- A third of the population is obese.
- The adjective tercero can also be used in this sense, but it should be accompanied by an auxiliary noun such as parte:
Me comí la tercera parte del pastel.- I ate the third part of the cake.
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Verb
tercio
- first-person singular present indicative of terciar
Further reading