terne
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terne¹
- /tɜːn/ UK
- /tɝn/ US
Sounds like tern, turn (fern–fir–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French terne, from Middle French, from Old French terne (“dim, dull”), from Frankish *darnī (“concealed, hidden; secret”); further etymology unknown, perhaps related to Proto-West Germanic *derk (“dark; dirty”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerg- (“to darken, dim”). Doublet of dern.
adjective more terne · most terne
- Colourless, drab, dull.
terne²
- /tɜːn/ UK
- /tɝn/ US
Sounds like tern, turn (fern–fir–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
From terneplate, probably from terne (“colourless, drab, dull”) (see etymology 1) + plate (“layer of a material on the surface of something, plating”).
noun ternes
- An alloy coating made of lead and tin (or, more recently, zinc and tin), often with some antimony, used to cover iron or steel.
-
Synonym of terneplate (“thin iron or steel sheeting coated with this alloy”).
Similar: terneplate
terne³
- /tɜːn/ UK
- /tɝn/ US
Sounds like tern, turn (fern–fir–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
A variant of tern.
noun ternes
- Obsolete spelling of tern (“any of various seabirds of the subfamily Sternidae (of the family Laridae) that are similar to gulls but are smaller and have a forked tail”).
Talk about this word "terne." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/terne. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. terne. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/terne "terne." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/terne.Cite this
@misc{terne_2026,
title = {terne},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/terne},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
