The Collaborative International Dictionary
Third \Third\ (th[~e]rd), a. [OE. thirde, AS. [thorn]ridda, fr. [thorn]r[=i], [thorn]re['o], three; akin to D. derde third, G. dritte, Icel. [thorn]ri[eth]i, Goth. [thorn]ridja, L. tertius, Gr. tri`tos, Skr. t[.r]t[=i]ya. See Three, and cf. Riding a jurisdiction, Tierce.]
Next after the second; coming after two others; -- the ordinal of three; as, the third hour in the day. ``The third night.''
--Chaucer.-
Constituting or being one of three equal parts into which anything is divided; as, the third part of a day. Third estate.
In England, the commons, or the commonalty, who are represented in Parliament by the House of Commons.
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In France, the tiers ['e]tat. See Tiers ['e]tat.
Third order (R. C. Ch.), an order attached to a monastic order, and comprising men and women devoted to a rule of pious living, called the third rule, by a simple vow if they remain seculars, and by more solemn vows if they become regulars. See Tertiary, n., 1.
Third person (Gram.), the person spoken of. See Person, n., 7.
Third sound. (Mus.) See Third, n.,
Usage examples of "third sound".
He found that if he conditioned them to salivate in response to the sound of a buzzer, then conditioned them to salivate in response to the sound of a bell, and then conditioned them to salivate in response to a third sound, when all three sounds were transmitted together, the animals became confused and withdrew from reality.