ternate
1 Americanadjective
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consisting of three; arranged in threes.
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Botany.
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consisting of three leaflets, as a compound leaf.
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having leaves arranged in whorls of three, as a plant.
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noun
adjective
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(esp of a leaf) consisting of three leaflets or other parts
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(esp of plants) having groups of three members
Other Word Forms
- ternately adverb
Etymology
Origin of ternate
From the New Latin word ternātus, dating back to 1745–55. See tern 2, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leaves binate, ternate, or both, from 10 to 15 cm. long, stout and rigid; resin-ducts external, or external and medial.
From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell
Radical and lower stem-leaves large, 1–2-pinnately compound, with leaflets cut into short narrow segments; upper stem-leaves ternate, with narrowly linear elongated leaflets; fruit 2–3´´ long.—Ohio to Ill. and Mo., south to Tenn. and Ark. July.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa
The leaves, which are produced in early spring, are very small and ternate; leaflets of unequal size, ovate, downy, and of dark green colour.
From Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies. by Wood, John
In most branches of science biÏ in composition denotes two, twice, or doubly; as, bidentate, twoÏtoothed; biternate, doubly ternate, etc.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah
Leaves all ternate; stems erect, or weak and ascending; achenes often small and light-colored.—Minn. to Mo., N. Mex., and westward.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
