*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tri-

PIE word *tréyes From Latin tri- (“three”) and Ancient Greek τρι- (tri-, “three”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
prefix

Three. · Used for the digit three to form systematic element names of elements whose existence has been predicted, and which have not yet been given a trivial name.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

PIE word *tréyes From Latin tri- (“three”) and Ancient Greek τρι- (tri-, “three”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "tréyes",
        "id": ""
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tréyes"
      },
      "expansion": "PIE word\n *tréyes"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:tri-"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"three\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*tréyes\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*tri-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*tri-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"tri-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"tri-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"tri-\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "tri-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "three"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tri- (“three”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "τρι-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "three"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek τρι- (tri-, “three”)"
    },
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      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:tri-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "*tréyes",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/tréyes"
    ],
    [
      "tri-",
      "tri-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "τρι-",
      "τρι-#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Three.",
        "Used for the digit three to form systematic element names of elements whose existence has been predicted, and which have not yet been given a trivial name."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
prefix

Used in combination with a known element name (e.g. 'tri-silicon', 'tri-lead') to designate an unknown element that would reside three periods lower than the known element on a Mendeleev-type periodic table. See Mendeleev's predicted elements.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Sanskrit त्रि (tri, “three”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "त्रि",
        "4": "",
        "5": "three"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit त्रि (tri, “three”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "त्रि",
      "त्रि#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used in combination with a known element name (e.g. 'tri-silicon', 'tri-lead') to designate an unknown element that would reside three periods lower than the known element on a Mendeleev-type periodic table. See Mendeleev's predicted elements."
      ],
      "tags": [
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for tri- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dHJpLQ