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tertiary - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'tertiary' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Tertiary [ a.]
- Being of the third formation, order, or rank; third; as, a tertiary use of a word.
- 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.
- Later than, or subsequent to, the Secondary.
- Growing on the innermost joint of a bird's wing; tertial; -- said of quills.
2 . Tertiary [ 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.
- The Tertiary era, period, or formation.
- One of the quill feathers which are borne upon the basal joint of the wing of a bird. See Illust. of Bird.