LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
numeralfirst/second-declension numeral

tertius1

tertius (feminine tertia, neuter tertium)
Classical[ˈtɛr.ti.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛr.t͡si.us]
№ 682 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. numeralthird
    For quotations using this term, see Citations:tertius.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativetertiustertiatertium
genitivetertiītertiaetertiī
dativetertiōtertiaetertiō
accusativetertiumtertiamtertium
ablativetertiōtertiātertiō
vocativetertietertiatertium
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativetertiītertiaetertia
genitivetertiōrumtertiārumtertiōrum
dativetertiīstertiīstertiīs
accusativetertiōstertiāstertia
ablativetertiīstertiīstertiīs
vocativetertiītertiaetertia

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

tertia hora est
it is the third hour (= 9 A.M.)
iterum, tertium consul
consul for the second, third time.
tertium decimum annum ago
I am in my thirteenth year.
tertiam iam aetatem videre
to be middle-aged (i.e. between thirty and forty).
aliquem (tertium) ad (in) amicitiam ascribere
to admit another into the circle of one's intimates.
actor primarum (secundarum, tertiarum) partium
the actor who plays the leading part.

tertĭus, a, um,
I. num. ord. adj. [ter], the third.
I. Adj.: vos duo eritis, atque amica tua erit tecum tertia, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 66: tres video sententias ferri: unam, etc. ... alteram, etc. ... tertiam ut, etc., Cic. Lael. 16, 56; cf. Caes. B. G. 1, 1; Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 26: sic disserunt: si quod sit in obscenitate flagitium, id aut in re esse aut in verbo: nihil esse tertium, Cic. Fam. 9, 22, 1; cf. id. Phil. 2, 13, 31: annus, id. Rep. 2, 37, 62: tertio illo anno, id. ib. 3, 32, 44: mancipia venibant Saturnalibus tertiis, i.e. on the third day of the Saturnalia, id. Att. 5, 20, 5: ab Jove tertius Ajax, the third in descent, greatgrandson of Jupiter, Ov. M. 13, 28: per tertia numina juro, i.e. by the infernal gods, id. Tr. 2, 53: regna, the infernal regions, id. F. 4, 584: tertius e nobis, i.e. one of us three, id. M. 14, 237: tertios creari (censores), Liv. 6, 27, 5: tertius dies est, it is two days since, Plin. Ep. 4, 27, 1: syllaba ab eā tertia, Quint. 1, 5, 30: diebus tertiis, every three days, Gell. 9, 4, 7. —
II. Substt.
A. tertĭae, ārum, f. (sc. partes).
1. A third part: miscentur argento tertiae aeris Cyprii, Plin. 33, 9, 46, § 131; 34, 5, 11, § 20: cum ad tertias subsederit coctura, Col. 12, 20, 4; 12, 35; Plin. 21, 18, 71, § 119: duae tertiae partes, two thirds, Col. 5, 2, 11.—*
2. The third part in a play: Spinther secundarum, tertiarumque Pamphilus, Plin. 7, 12, 10, § 54. —
B. Tertĭus, ii, m., and Tertĭa, ae, f., proper names. The latter in a sarcastic pun: Tertiā deductā (after a third was deducted, or after Tertia was seduced), Cic. ap. Macr. S. 2, 2; Suet. Caes. 50.—Adv.
A. tertĭō.
1. For the third time: non hercle veniam tertio, Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 24: ille iterum, ille tertio pecuniam dedit, Cic. Deiot. 5, 14: sanguis mittendus est iterum tertioque, Cels. 4, 4, fin.: cui ter proditae patriae: semel cum, etc. ... iterum cum, etc. ... tertio hodie, etc., Liv. 23, 9, 11; tertio consules esse, Plin. Pan. 60, 5; cf. Gell. 10, 1.—*
2. In the third place, thirdly: haec spectans, etc. ... simul, ut, etc. ... tertio, ut, etc., Caes. B. C. 3, 43.—
3. Three times (post-class.): parietes tertio obducere, Pall. 1, 11, 2; Treb. Gall. 17. —
B. tertĭum, for the third time: nemo est quin saepe jactans Venerium jaciat aliquando, non numquam etiam iterum ac tertium, Cic. Div. 2, 59, 121: veniunt iterum atque tertium, Cato ap. Charis. p. 196 P.: idque iterum tertiumque, Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 139: consules creati Q. Fabius Vibulanus tertium et L. Cornelius Maluginensis, Liv. 3, 22, 1; 6, 27, 2: mori consulem tertium oportuit, id. 3, 67, 3; Front. Aquaed. 10; cf. Gell. 10, 1.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tréyes
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tri-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*tritós
  4. Proto-Italic*tritios
  5. Latintertius

From Proto-Italic *tritios, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥tyós ~ *tritós, ordinal form of *tréyes. Akin to Ancient Greek τρίτος (trítos), Proto-Germanic *þridjô and Proto-Slavic *tretь.

Descendants
  • Englishtertial
  • Frenchtiersfrom Old French tiers
  • Italianterzo
  • Romanianterțfrom Italian terzo
  • Portugueseterçofrom Old Galician-Portuguese terço
  • Portuguesetérciofrom Old Galician-Portuguese terço
  • Romanianterțiu
  • Spanishtercio
  • Emiliantêrz
  • Ladinterz

In English words that came into English from tertius

  • tertiarytertiārius
  • tiercetertius
  • tercetertia
  • tertiatetertiō
  • tierceltertiolus
  • sestertiussēstertius
  • sestercesēstertius
  • tertialtertius
  • terzettotertius
  • sestertiumsēstertium
  • tercinetertius
proper noun · masculinesecond declension
Tertius2
Tertius m (genitive Tertiī or Tertī, feminine Tertia)
Classical[ˈtɛr.ti.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛr.t͡si.us]

Meaning

  1. masculinea Roman praenomen
  2. masculinea Roman cognomen

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeTertiusTertiī
genitiveTertiī
Tertī		Tertiōrum
dativeTertiōTertiīs
accusativeTertiumTertiōs
ablativeTertiōTertiīs
vocativeTertīTertiī

Origins

From tertius (“the third”).

Quick answers

What does tertius mean in Latin?
tertius, a numeral, means “third”.
How do you pronounce tertius?
In classical Latin, [ˈtɛr.ti.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtɛr.t͡si.us].
Where does tertius come from?
Proto-Indo-European *tréyes → Proto-Indo-European *tri- → Proto-Indo-European *tritós → Proto-Italic *tritios → Latin tertius.
Which English words come from tertius?
English words that go back to Latin tertius include tierce, terce, tertial, terzetto, tercine and tertiary.