n. [ F. tierce a third, from tiers, tierce, third, fr. L. tertius the third; akin to tres three. See Third, Three, and cf. Terce, Tercet, Tertiary. ] 1. A cask whose content is one third of a pipe; that is, forty-two wine gallons; also, a liquid measure of forty-two wine, or thirty-five imperial, gallons. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cask larger than a barrel, and smaller than a hogshead or a puncheon, in which salt provisions, rice, etc., are packed for shipment. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mus.) The third tone of the scale. See Mediant. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A sequence of three playing cards of the same suit. Tierce of ace, king, queen, is called tierce-major. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Fencing) A position in thrusting or parrying in which the wrist and nails are turned downward. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (R. C. Ch.) The third hour of the day, or nine a. m, ; one of the canonical hours; also, the service appointed for that hour. [ 1913 Webster ]

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a. [ F. ] (Her.) Divided into three equal parts of three different tinctures; -- said of an escutcheon. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ OE. tercel, tercelet, F. tiercelet, a dim. of (assumed) tiercel, or LL. tertiolus, dim. fr. L. tertius the third; -- so called, according to some, because every third bird in the nest is a male, or, according to others, because the male is the third part less than female. Cf. Tercel. ] (Falconry) The male of various falcons, esp. of the peregrine; also, the male of the goshawk. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. tierce majeure. ] (Card Playing) See Tierce, 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. tercet. See Tercet. ] (Pros.) A triplet; three lines, or three lines rhyming together. [ 1913 Webster ]