terne

T1E1R1N1E1
UK/tɜːn/US/tɝn/

adjective

Colourless, drab, dull.

Similar
terneplate
OriginFrench terne ← Old French terne ← Frankish *darnī →
First used 17th c.Scrabble 5
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Meanings

terne1

adjectiveterne (comparative more terne, superlative most terne)

comparative more terne · superlative most terne

  1. Colourless, drab, dull.

terne2

nounterne (countable and uncountable, plural ternes)

plural ternes

  1. alsoattributivecountableuncountableAn alloy coating made of lead and tin (or, more recently, zinc and tin), often with some antimony, used to cover iron or steel.
  2. countableuncountableSynonym of terneplate (“thin iron or steel sheeting coated with this alloy”).

    Synonyms: terneplate

terne3

nounterne (plural ternes)

plural ternes

  1. obsoleteObsolete 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”).First known use 17th c.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of terneplate (“thin iron or steel sheeting coated with this alloy”).

Similar
terneplate

Origin

terne · adjective

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰerg-“to darken, dim”
  2. Proto-West Germanic*derk“dark; dirty”
  3. Frankish*darnī“concealed, hidden; secret”
  4. Old Frenchterne“dim, dull”
  5. Frenchterne
  6. Englishterne

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.

More words from French, Old French, Frankish

Full word history & related roots →

terne · noun

From terneplate, probably from terne (“colourless, drab, dull”) (see etymology 1) + plate (“layer of a material on the surface of something, plating”).

Full word history & related roots →

terne · noun

A variant of tern.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with terne

returnlearnconcernearnburnsternkernfernurnBernadjourndiscernchurnternernnocturneyearnAuvergneupturnpernderngernhernastern
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

ternturn (fern–fir–fur merger)ternturn (fern–fir–fur merger)ternturn (fern–fir–fur merger)

Anagrams

enterTenertreenrente
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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