ScienceAugust 1, 2026

trinary

TRY-nuh-ree

Definition

Consisting of three parts, elements, or members.

Etymology

The word originates from the Latin 'trinarius', meaning 'three each' or 'composed of three', derived from the root 'trini'. It entered English via late Latin influence to describe sets of three.

In the news

The article uses the word to describe an asteroid that appears to be composed of three distinct bodies fused together. It serves to classify this unique celestial object as a rare 'contact trinary' system.

The Asteroid That May Be Three Worlds

Read the full article ↗

Universe Today

Related words

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.