Triplicity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /tɹɪˈplɪsɪti/

Definitions

1. The property of existing in threefold form or nature is known as a concept that embodies the triadic structure found in various contexts
2. This term refers to the state of having three individual parts, often used to describe classifications involving trios
3. The quality or condition of consisting of three distinct components or elements

Etymology: "Triplicity" is built from "triplicate" plus the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun of quality. Its deeper ancestor is the Latin "triplex," meaning "threefold," formed from "tri-" (three) and "-plex," a root related to folding and multiplying, so the word is essentially a three-fold idea wrapped in layers of fold. The Latin noun "triplicitas" passed into English through French, where "triplicité" was already in use. Its meaning stayed close to counting by threes: a thing that has three parts, or the state of being threefold. Writers have used it for everything from the three sides of a triangle to the three persons of the Trinity, and in astrology it names groups of three zodiac signs sharing an elemental nature.

Synonyms: trio, threesome, trinity, triplet, trichotomy