Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tierce” come from?

Tierce comes from Old French tierce, derived from Latin tertius meaning "third," which traces back through Latin tres and English three to Proto-Indo-European tréyes.

tierce (English): A third; Synonym of terce: the third canonical...

Definitions

  1. A third; Synonym of terce: the third canonical...

Ancestry of “tierce”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchtiercefeminine singular of tiers; third; terce
2Old FrenchtierceAlternative form of tiers
3Latintertiusthird, the ordinal number after secundus and...
4Latintrēs—
5Proto-Italictrēsthree
6Proto-Indo-European*tréyes—

Words derived from “tierce”

  • tierced
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes →