terce

T1E1R1C3E1
UK/tɜːs/Canada, US/tɝːs/

noun

The third hour of daylight (about 9 am).

Similar
undernhalf undernundermealunderntideundertideundern-timeundern-songtierce
OriginOld French terce ← Latin tertia →
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Meanings

nounterce (countable and uncountable, plural terces)

plural terces · alternative tierce

  1. countablehistoricaluncountableThe third hour of daylight (about 9 am).
  2. countableuncountableEastern OrthodoxyCatholicismThe service appointed for this hour.

    Synonyms: undern, half undern, undermeal, underntide, undertide, undern-time, undern-song

  3. countableuncountableScots lawA widow's right, where she has no conventional provision, to a liferent of a third of the husband's heritable property.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe service appointed for this hour.

Similar
undernhalf undernundermealunderntideundertideundern-timeundern-song
Broader
canonical hour

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe third canonical hour; about 9 a.m.

Similar
tierce
Broader
canonical hour
Also see
half underntierceundermealundernundern-song

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latintertia“third; the third hour”
  2. Old Frenchterce
  3. Englishterce

Late Middle English, from Old French terce, from Latin tertia (“third; the third hour”).

More words from Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan terça, terça
  • terçathird hour of daylight
  • terçaChristian service during this hour
Dutch terts, terts
  • tertsthird hour of daylight
  • tertsChristian service during this hour
French tierce, tierce
  • tiercethird hour of daylight
  • tierceChristian service during this hour
Swedish ters
  • tersChristian service during this hour

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with terce

universereversenurseworsediverseversepurseconversetraversetransversereimburseperversedisperseimmerseaversecoerceterseobversehearsemultiversedisburseperserecurseburse
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

terse

Anagrams

Creteerectrecte
Cite this entry
APA

terce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terce

MLA

“terce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terce. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terce,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terce.

Source: terce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.