ternate

¹ American  

[tur-nit, -neyt] / ˈtɜr nɪt, -neɪt /

adjective

1. consisting of three; arranged in threes.

2. Botany.

   1. consisting of three leaflets, as a compound leaf.

   2. having leaves arranged in whorls of three, as a plant.

---

Ternate ² American  

[ter-nah-te, ter-nah-tee] / tɛrˈnɑ tɛ, tərˈnɑ ti /

noun

1. an island in E Indonesia, W of Halmahera: important source of spices. 53 sq. mi. (137 sq. km).

---

ternate British  

/ ˈtɜːnɪt, -neɪt /

adjective

1. (esp of a leaf) consisting of three leaflets or other parts

2. (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

Both this and the patarra are creeping plants: the last with ternate leaves.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 by Kerr, Robert

So far as I can judge from these circumstances, I p. 87suppose that it is a species of Smilax, with ternate leaves. 

From An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha by Hamilton, Francis

Biternate, twice ternate; i. e. principal divisions three, each bearing three leaflets, 59.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

Size and appearance of n. 1; leaves only twice ternate; flowers white, fewer; achenes 5–10, flat, somewhat crescent-shaped, tapering into the slender stipe.—Mountains of Va. and southward.

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

Leaves ternate, from 7 to 14 cm. long; resin-ducts medial, or with an occasional internal duct, hypoderm biform.

From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell

Related Words

• threefold