Thridde

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The ordinal number that comes after second and before fourth in a sequence
2. Occupying the position numbered three in an order or series
3. Coming next after a pair or two preceding items in a ranked or sequential arrangement

Etymology: In Old English, the number after one was not "two" but "ōþer," which meant "second" and also "other." The ordinal for three was "þridda," which is the ancestor of the Middle English spelling "thridde." That spelling shows the word's shape clearly: it is built on the same root as the cardinal number "þrēo" (three), with an ordinal ending added. The modern "third" kept this structure while losing most of its older spelling. The "th" sound and the "-d" ending stayed, but the vowel and the spelling changed over time, so "thridde" looks like a different word even though it is the same one.