trimonthly

[ trahy-muhnth-lee ]

adjective

1. occurring, taking place, done, or acted upon every three months.

trimonthly

/ traɪˈmʌnθlɪ /

adjective

1. every three months

Word History and Origins

Origin of trimonthly¹

First recorded in 1855–60; tri- + monthly

More About Trimonthly

What does trimonthly mean?

Trimonthly means every three months.

It can be used this way as an adjective, as in a trimonthly meeting, or an adverb, as in We plan to meet trimonthly.

Some people also use trimonthly to mean three times per month, so it’s best to specify which you mean by just saying “three times a month” or “every three months.”

Examples: New episodes of my trimonthly podcast come out in January, April, July, and October.

Where does trimonthly come from>

The first records of the word trimonthly come from the 1850s. The prefix tri- means “three” or “three times.” The suffix -ly, which usually forms adverbs, is used in trimonthly to mean “every.” It’s used in the same way in several other units of time, including hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly.

Different prefixes can be added to monthly to indicate a different period of time. The word bimonthly causes the same kind of confusion as trimonthly since it’s commonly used to mean once every two months or twice per month. In any case, trimonthly is much less commonly used than bimonthly. This may be because trimonthly events are less common or because such events can sometimes be described as quarterly—meaning they happen every quarter, or four times a year.

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What are some synonyms for trimonthly?

• every three months

What are some words that share a root or word element with trimonthly? 

 

• monthly
• month
• triweekly
• triannual
• trimester

What are some words that often get used in discussing trimonthly?

• every
• three
• meeting
• schedule
• regular
• release
• quarterly

 

How is trimonthly used in real life?

Trimonthly usually means “every three months,” but it’s best to specify to avoid confusion.

I'm going to get my trimonthly diabetic blood work done today so you have to be nice to me

— Two Abby Dentons… A door to the past (@mizabitha) June 20, 2016

So the other day Amazon informed me they could no longer fulfill my trimonthly subscription of Rum cake. At a house I lived in THREE YEARS AGO. Guess I didn’t cancel after all. You’re welcome, strangers, for your regular delivery of tasty, golden Caribbean delight.

— Adam Chance (@TheAdamChance) November 20, 2018

Surprise!! Ambers going on her trimonthly health kick! Who wants to be my gym partner!??

— Ambuh (@ammalace) December 29, 2015

 

 

Try using trimonthly!

Is trimonthly used correctly in the following sentence?

The magazine will transition from being published monthly to trimonthly.