Trinity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtɹɪnɪti/

Definitions

1. A group of three closely related or unified entities, especially the Christian concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one deity
2. The Christian belief encompassing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as a single divine essence ; any collection or combination consisting of three connected parts or individuals
3. A religious concept defining one God in three distinct personages known as the Father, Son, and Spirit ; a triad formed by three components that are linked or associated

Etymology: The English word replaced an older native term. Before "trinity" became standard for the Christian concept of Father, Son and Holy Spirit as one God, Old English speakers used "þrines," literally "threeness," a plain formation that the Latin-derived word eventually displaced. The modern word arrived in Middle English as "trinite," borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Old French ("ternite," the ancestor of modern French "trinité") from the Latin "trīnitās." That Latin noun comes from "trīnī," meaning "three each" or "threefold," which in turn is built on "trēs," "three." The same root sits behind a family of English words such as "trio" and "tercet," though "trinity" reaches English by its own route. The "-ity" ending is the familiar suffix that turns an adjective into an abstract noun, and "trine," meaning threefold, forms the base on the surface, so the word can be read simply as "threeness" in Latin dress.

Synonyms: trio, threesome, triplet, trinitarianism, triad