tertial

[ tur-shuhl ]

adjective

1. pertaining to any of a set of flight feathers situated on the basal segment of a bird's wing.

noun

1. a tertial feather.

tertial

/ ˈtɜːʃəl /

adjective

1. another word for tertiary tertiary

Word History and Origins

Origin of tertial¹

1830–40; < Latin terti ( us ) third + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tertial¹

C19: from Latin tertius third, from ter thrice, from trēs three

Example Sentences

Tertial, ter′shal, adj. of the third rank among the flight-feathers of a bird's wing.—n. a tertiary flight-feather.

From Project Gutenberg

Head, throat, bill and legs, black; sides of the neck near the wing, tertial wing-coverts and rump, white; breast bright chestnut-red, shaded into yellowish white towards the tail; feathers of the back, wings and tail, black, with reddish brown edges.

From Project Gutenberg