From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ternary \Ter"na*ry\, a. [L. ternarius, fr. terni. See {Tern},
a.]
1. Proceeding by threes; consisting of three; as, the ternary
number was anciently esteemed a symbol of perfection, and
held in great veneration.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Chem.) Containing, or consisting of, three different
parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are
regarded as having different functions or relations in the
molecule; thus, sodic hydroxide, {NaOH}, is a ternary
compound.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ternary \Ter"na*ry\, n.; pl. {Ternaries}.
A ternion; the number three; three things taken together; a
triad.
[1913 Webster]
Some in ternaries, some in pairs, and some single.
--Holder.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
ternary
adj 1: having three units or components or elements; "a ternary
operation"; "a treble row of red beads"; "overcrowding
made triple sessions necessary"; "triple time has three
beats per measure"; "triplex windows" [syn: {ternary},
{treble}, {triple}, {triplex}]
n 1: the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
[syn: {three}, {3}, {III}, {trio}, {threesome}, {tierce},
{leash}, {troika}, {triad}, {trine}, {trinity}, {ternary},
{ternion}, {triplet}, {tercet}, {terzetto}, {trey}, {deuce-
ace}]
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