ternary
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ternary
- /ˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/ UK
- /ˈtɝ.nə.ɹi/ US
Sounds like ternery
Where it comes from
From Late Latin ternārius (“consisting of three things”), from ternī (“three each”).
adjective
-
Made up of three things.
Similar: treble, triadic, triple, triplex, tern, trinary, trine, ternary, threefold
- Arranged in groups of three.
-
To the base three.
Perhaps the prettiest number system of all is the balanced ternary notation
Similar: trinary
- Having three variables.
- Containing, or consisting of, three different parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are regarded as having different functions or relations in the molecule. Sodic hydroxide, NaOH, is a ternary compound.
- Of an operator taking three operands. An "if…then…else" construction is called a ternary operator when it is combined in one line of a program.
noun ternaries
-
A group of three things; a trio, threesome or tierce.
Similar: leash, tern, ternary, ternion, threeness, threesome, triad, trinary, trine, trinity, trio, triplet
- The Holy Trinity. And albeit these thynges be waighty and truthes of great importance, yet (by the infinite goodnes of the Almighty Ternarie,) Artificiall Methods and easy wayes are made, by which the zelous Philosopher, may wyn nere this Riuerish Ida, this Mountayne of Contemplation […] .
- The ternary operator. Although this code is technically correct, you should be cautious when using ternaries. Many developers actually don't like using ternaries because it's easy to miss small details or create quirky behaviors.
Translations
Every language
adj made up of three things
| Español | ternario |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | ternär |
| Ελληνικά | τριαδικός triadikós |
| Română | ternar |
| Русский | троичный troičnyj, тройно́й trojnój |
adj arranged in group of three
| Русский | трёхкомпонентный trjóxkomponentnyj, трёхчленный trjóxčlennyj |
|---|
adj mathematics: to the base three
| Română | ternar |
|---|
adj mathematics: having three variables
| Ελληνικά | τριαδικός triadikós, τετραμερής tetramerís |
|---|---|
| Русский | трёхчленный trjóxčlennyj, тернарный ternarnyj |
Talk about this word "ternary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ternary. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ternary. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ternary "ternary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ternary.Cite this
@misc{ternary_2026,
title = {ternary},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ternary},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
