n. Any of various seabirds primarily of the genus Sterna found worldwide, typically smaller than a gull and having a forked tail. [Of Scandinavian origin.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. 1. Games A set of three, especially a combination of three numbers that wins a lottery. 2. A three-masted schooner. [Middle English terne, from Old French, from ternes, from Latin ternās, accusative pl. of ternī, three each, from ter, thrice; see trei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.