Etymology : Middle English, from three, adjective, from Old English thrIe , thrEo ; akin to Old High German drI three, Latin tres, Greek treis
Pronunciation : thrE
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. number.
2. being 3 in number. three\three\ , a. [oe. ?re, ?reo, ?ri, as. ?rī, masc., ?re?, fem. and neut.; akin to ofries. thre, os. thria, threa, d. drie, g. drei, ohg. drī, icel. ?rīr, dan. & sw. tre, goth. ?reis, lith. trys, ir., gael. & w. tri, russ. tri, l. tres, gr. trei^s, skr. tri. ?301. cf. 3d drilling, tern, a., third, thirteen, thirty, tierce, trey, tri-, triad, trinity, tripod.] one more than two; two and one. "i offer thee three things." xxiv.
3. three solemn aisles approach the shrine.note: three is often joined with other words, forming compounds signifying divided into, composed of, or containing, three parts, portions, organs, or the like; as, three-branched, three-capsuled, three-celled, three-cleft, three-edged, three-foot, three-footed, three-forked, three-grained, three-headed, three-legged, three-mouthed, three-nooked, three-petaled, three-pronged, three-ribbed, three-seeded, three-stringed, three-toed, and the like.three \three\, n.
4. the number greater by a unit than two; three units or objects.
5. a symbol representing three units, as 3 or iii.
6. One more than two; two and one.
7. The number greater by a unit than two; three units or objects.
8. A symbol representing three units, as 3 or iii. the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one being one more than two.
9. Three is the number.
10. We waited three months before going back to see:
the specialist. Three Emperors' League Three Gorges Dam Project Three Henrys War of the Three Kingdoms Three Mile Island Three Stooges.