three

A1 Topic:Numbers & Quantity

US /θriː/ UK /θɹiː/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like free /θ/ vs /f/ Sounds like tree /θ/ vs /t/

num noun adj Freq #223

Meanings

1

num
The number 3.

She has three children.
2

noun
The number 3, or something representing it.

Put all the threes in a separate pile.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms threes

Derived forms couple-threeone-two-threethirteenthree-and-outthree-baggerthree-ballthree-camerathree-corneredthree-cueingthree-deckerthree-dimensionalthree-dimensionality

Related forms iiithird thrice triple

Etymology

From Middle English thre, threo, thrie, thri, from Old English þrī, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes. Doublet of tres and trey. Cognate with German drei, Albanian tre, Armenian երեք (erekʻ), Latin trēs, Latvian trīs, Lithuanian trỹs, Greek τρεῖς (treís), Old Church Slavonic трьѥ (trĭje), and others.

thre Middle English þrī Old English *þrīʀ Proto-West Germanic *þrīz Proto-Germanic *tréyes Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Numbers & Quantity

# three

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** num, noun, adj
**IPA (US):** θriː
**IPA (UK):** θɹiː
**Frequency rank:** 223

## Meanings
1. The number 3.
2. The number 3, or something representing it.

## Examples
- She has three children.
- Put all the threes in a separate pile.

## Derived Forms
- couple-three
- one-two-three
- thirteen
- three-and-out
- three-bagger
- three-ball
- three-camera
- three-cornered
- three-cueing
- three-decker
- three-dimensional
- three-dimensionality

## Related Forms
- iii
- third
- thrice
- triple

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: thre
- Root: þrī
- Root: *þrīʀ
- Root: *þrīz
- Root: *tréyes

## Etymology
From Middle English thre, threo, thrie, thri, from Old English þrī, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes. Doublet of tres and trey. Cognate with German drei, Albanian tre, Armenian երեք (erekʻ), Latin trēs, Latvian trīs, Lithuanian trỹs, Greek τρεῖς (treís), Old Church Slavonic трьѥ (trĭje), and others.

## AI Etymology
Three is from Middle English thre, threo, thrie, thri, from Old English þrī, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes. Doublet of tres and trey. Cognate with German drei, Albanian tre, Armenian երեք (erekʻ), Latin trēs, Latvian trīs, Lithuanian trỹs, Greek τρεῖς (treís), Old Church Slavonic трьѥ (trĭje), and others. In present-day use, it can mean the number 3, or the number 3, or something representing it. Derived formations include couple-three, one-two-three, thirteen, three-and-out, three-bagger, three-ball, three-camera, three-cornered.

## Topics
- Numbers & Quantity

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