Tertiary means third in order, third in importance, or at a third stage of development.
[formal]
He must have come to know those philosophers through secondary or tertiary sources.
...the complementary tertiary colours, russet and olive green.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Tertiary education is education at university or college level.
[British]
...institutions of tertiary education.
...Selby Tertiary College.
regional note: in AM, use higher education
tertiary in British English
(ˈtɜːʃərɪ)
adjective
1.
third in degree, order, etc
2.
(of education) taking place after secondary school, such as at university, college, etc
3.
(of an industry) involving services as opposed to extraction or manufacture, such as transport, finance, etc
Compare primary (sense 8b), secondary (sense 7)
4. Roman Catholic Church
of or relating to a Third Order
5. chemistry
a.
(of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to three other groups
b.
(of an amine) having three organic groups attached to a nitrogen atom
c.
(of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of all its acidic hydrogen atoms with metal atoms or electropositive groups
6. Also called: tertial ornithology rare
of, relating to, or designating any of the small flight feathers attached to the part of the humerus nearest to the body
nounWord forms: plural-tiaries
7. Also called: tertial ornithology rare
any of the tertiary feathers
8. Roman Catholic Church
a member of a Third Order
Word origin
C16: from Latin tertiārius containing one third, from tertius third
Tertiary in British English
(ˈtɜːʃərɪ)
adjective
1.
of, denoting, or formed in the first period of the Cenozoic era, which lasted for 63 million years, during which mammals became dominant
noun
2. the Tertiary
tertiary in American English
(ˈtɜrʃiˌɛri; ˈtɜrʃəri)
adjective
1.
of the third rank, order, formation, stage, etc.; third
2. Chemistry
a.
third in order or type; involving the substitution of three atoms or radicals
b.
characterized by or designating a carbon atom or group attached to three other carbonatoms or groups in a chain or ring
3. [usuallyT-]; Geology
designating or of the first geologic period of the Cenozoic Era, usually subdivided into the Paleogene and the Neogene and characterized by the formation of major mountain ranges, the first grasses and grasslands, and the development of mammals as the dominant animal
4. Linguistics
a.
designating, of, or being the third strongest of the four phonemic degrees of stress
b.
a mark used to indicate this
5. Roman CatholicChurch
of a Third Order
see also Third Order
6. Zoology
tertial
nounWord forms: pluralˈtertiˌaries
7. Roman CatholicChurch
a member of a Third Order
8. Zoology
tertial
Idioms:
the Tertiary
Word origin
L tertiarius < tertius, third
Examples of 'tertiary' in a sentence
tertiary
Hell's teeth... that's tertiary education for you, eh, seor?
David Cavanagh MUSIC FOR BOYS (2003)
Whatever the ostensible reason it was clear they wanted to examine the young tertiary who had won such a following.
Newbery, Linda RIDDLE ME THIS (2003)
Word lists with
tertiary
Geological periods
In other languages
tertiary
British English: tertiary ADJECTIVE
Tertiary means third in order, third in importance, or at a third stage of development.
He must have come to know those philosophers through secondary or tertiary sources.
American English: tertiary
Brazilian Portuguese: terciário
Chinese: 第三的
European Spanish: terciario
French: tertiaire
German: tertiär
Italian: terziario
Japanese: 第3の
Korean: 제 3의
European Portuguese: terciário
Latin American Spanish: terciario
All related terms of 'tertiary'
post-Tertiary
denoting or formed after the Tertiary period of geological time
the Tertiary
the Tertiary period or rock system, divided into Palaeocene , Eocene , Oligocene , Miocene , and Pliocene epochs or series
tertiary colour
a colour formed by mixing a primary and a secondary colour or two secondary colours
Tertiary period
→ the Tertiary period
tertiary sector
The tertiary sector consists of industries which provide a service, such as transport and finance.
tertiary bursary
a noncompetitive award granted to all pupils who have passed a university entrance examination
tertiary college
a college system incorporating the secondary school sixth form and vocational courses
tertiary education
education , following secondary education at a school, at a college or university
tertiary syphilis
the third stage of syphilis , characterized by involvement of the internal organs, esp. the brain, spinal cord, heart, and liver
the Tertiary period
the Tertiary period or rock system, divided into Palaeocene , Eocene , Oligocene , Miocene , and Pliocene epochs or series