tierce

A noun referring to the third canonical hour of the Divine Office, observed around 9 a.m., or a term for the number three or one of three equal parts.

• 🇩🇪Substantiv, das die dritte kanonische Stunde des Stundengebets bezeichnet, die etwa um 9 Uhr morgens gebetet wird, oder allgemeiner die Zahl Drei bzw. eines von drei gleichen Teilen.

1. Canonical hour C2 formal

   The third of the canonical hours in the Christian liturgical day, traditionally observed around 9 a.m.

   • The monks gathered for the service of tierce.
   • Tierce is recited after Prime and before Sext.
   • The bell rang to announce the hour of tierce.

   🇩🇪Terz

   Synonyme: terce

2. Number three C1 formal

   The cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one; three.

   • In some old texts, tierce is used to denote the number three.
   • The dice showed a tierce, meaning three pips.
   • He counted to tierce before starting the race.

   🇩🇪Drei

3. One third C1 formal

   One of three equal parts of a divisible whole; a third.

   • She inherited a tierce of the estate.
   • The recipe calls for a tierce of a cup of sugar.
   • They divided the land into three tierces.

   🇩🇪Drittel

   Synonyme: one-thirdthird