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Origin and history of three

three(num.)

"1 more than two; the number which is one more than two; a symbol representing this number;" Old English þreo, fem. and neuter (masc. þri, þrie), from Proto-Germanic *thrijiz (source also of Old Saxon thria, Old Frisian thre, Middle Dutch and Dutch drie, Old High German dri, German drei, Old Norse þrir, Danish tre). This is from PIE root *trei- "three" (source also of Sanskrit trayas, Avestan thri, Greek treis, Latin tres, Lithuanian trys, Old Church Slavonic trye, Irish and Welsh tri "three").

3-D (adj.) is attested by 1952, abbreviation of three-dimensional (1878); the three dimensions were so called from late 14c. The clothing three-piece suit is recorded by 1897. The three-martini lunch is attested from 1972.

Three cheers for ______ is recorded from 1751. Three-ring circus is recorded by 1898. Three musketeers translates French les trois mousquetaires, title of the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas père.

Three-sixty "complete turnaround" is from 1927, originally among aviators, in reference to the number of degrees in a full circle.

Entries linking to three

sitar(n.)

long-necked stringed Indian musical instrument, 1845, from Hindi sitar, from Persian sitar "three-stringed," from si "three" (Old Persian thri-; see three) + tar "string" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch"). Related: Sitarist.

tercel(n.)

"male falcon; male of a diurnal bird of prey," c. 1300, from Old French tercel, tercuel (c. 1200), Anglo-French terssel, from Medieval Latin tertiolus, from Latin tertius "third, a third," from root of tres "three" (see three). Various theories attempt to explain the word; one says it's because the males are a third smaller than the females, another [Century Dictionary] because a third egg in the nest (smaller than the other two) is believed always to produce a smaller male bird.

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Trends of three

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

tertiary
1650s, "of the third order, rank, degree, etc.," from Latin tertiarius "of or pertaining to a third," from tertius "third, a third," from root of tres "three" (see three). The geological sense (with capital T-) of "era after the Mesozoic" (which formerly was called the Secondary)
testament
late 13c., "last will disposing of property," from Latin testamentum "a last will, publication of a will," from testari "make a will, be witness to," from testis "witness," from PIE *tri-st-i- "third person standing by," from root *tris- "three" (see three) on the notion of "thir
third
"next in order after the second; an ordinal numeral; being one of three equal parts into which a whole is regarded as divided;" late Old English metathesis of þridda, from Proto-Germanic *thridja- (source also of Old Frisian thredda, Old Saxon thriddio, Middle Low German drudde,
worthy
and legend: Joshua, David, Judas Maccabæus, Hector, Alexander, Julius Cæsar, Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon -- three...Jews, three gentiles, three Christians)....
trammel
net"), from Old French tramail "fine-gauged fishnet" (13c.), from Late Latin tremaculum, perhaps meaning "a net made from three...layers of meshes," from Latin tri- "three" (see tri-) + macula "a mesh" (see mail (n.2))....
leash
The meaning "a set of three, three creatures of a kind" is from early 14c., originally in sporting language and especially...
bridge
One guess is that it represents Turkish *bir-üç "one-three," because one hand is exposed and three are concealed....
riot
c. 1200, "the following of a wrong scent by hounds" (a sense now obsolete but in one phrase); early 14c., "debauchery, extravagance, wanton living," from Anglo-French rioute, Old French riot, riote (12c.) "dispute, quarrel, (tedious) talk, chattering, argument, domestic strife,"
recite
early 15c., "state something" (in legal proceedings); mid-15c., "relate the facts or particulars of," from Old French reciter (12c.) and directly from Latin recitare "read aloud, read out, repeat from memory, declaim," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + citare "to summon" (see ci
tierce
old unit of liquid measure equal to one-third of a pipe (42 gallons), 1530s, from Anglo-French ters, Old French tierce (11c.). used in the sense "one-third" in various ways, from Latin tertia, fem. of tertius "a third," from PIE *tri-tyo-, from root *trei- (see three). Also used

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