tertium quid

noun

Something intermediate between two classifications.

OriginLatin tertium quid ← ['la ', →
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Meanings

nountertium quid (plural tertium quids)

plural tertium quids

  1. Something intermediate between two classifications.
  2. A third party in a situation, such as one who comes between two potential romantic partners; a "gooseberry" or "third wheel".

    Once upon a time there was a Man and his Wife and a Tertium Quid.

    1888, Rudyard Kipling, At the Pit's Mouth

Origin

  1. ['la',
  2. Latintertium quid
  3. Englishtertium quid

Borrowed from Latin tertium quid (“third thing”).

More words from Latin, ['la

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tertium quid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tertium%20quid

MLA

“tertium quid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tertium%20quid. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tertium quid,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tertium%20quid.

Source: tertium quid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.