tertiaries

1 definition found

tertiaries - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Tertiary \Ter"ti*a*ry\, n.; pl. Tertiaries.
     1. (R. C. Ch.) A member of the Third Order in any monastic
        system; as, the Franciscan tertiaries; the Dominican
        tertiaries; the Carmelite tertiaries. See Third Order,
        under Third. --Addis & Arnold.
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     2. (Geol.) The Tertiary era, period, or formation.
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     3. (Zool.) One of the quill feathers which are borne upon the
        basal joint of the wing of a bird. See Illust. of Bird.
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