*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of trice

From Middle English trīcen, trice, trise (“to pull or push; to snatch away; to steal”), from Middle Dutch trīsen (“to hoist”) (modern Dutch trijsen) or Middle Low German trissen (“to trice the spritsail”); further etymol

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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 ↗
verb

To pull, to pull out or away, to pull sharply. · To drag or haul, especially with a rope; specifically (nautical) to haul or hoist and tie up by means of a rope.

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

From Middle English trīcen, trice, trise (“to pull or push; to snatch away; to steal”), from Middle Dutch trīsen (“to hoist”) (modern Dutch trijsen) or Middle Low German trissen (“to trice the spritsail”); further etymology uncertain. The word is cognate with Danish trisse, tridse (“to haul with a pulley”), Low German trissen, tryssen, drisen, drysen (“to wind up, trice”), German trissen, triezen (“to annoy or torment”).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "trīcen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English trīcen"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "trīsen",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to hoist"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch trīsen (“to hoist”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "trijsen"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch trijsen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "trissen",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to trice the spritsail"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German trissen (“to trice the spritsail”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "trisse"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish trisse"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "trissen"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German trissen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "trissen"
      },
      "expansion": "German trissen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "trīcen",
      "tricen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "trice",
      "trice#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "trise",
      "trise#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "trīsen",
      "trisen#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "trijsen",
      "trijsen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "trissen",
      "trissen#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "trisse",
      "trisse#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "tridse",
      "tridse#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "trissen",
      "trissen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "tryssen",
      "tryssen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "drisen",
      "drisen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "drysen",
      "drysen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "trissen",
      "trissen#German"
    ],
    [
      "triezen",
      "triezen#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To pull, to pull out or away, to pull sharply.",
        "To drag or haul, especially with a rope; specifically (nautical) to haul or hoist and tie up by means of a rope."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "87425a034272bc7de58c1905858afaceb87a6bddefaf21d34f7219e58c8e3df2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c05a166d090bcef623768c3e2389c86c6452d147964f8117852c62bf8af81c2e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 240457
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Now only in the phrase in a trice: a very short time; the blink of an eye, an instant, a moment.

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

From Middle English trīce, trise, in the phrase at a trīce (“with a single, quick motion; at once”, literally “with a pull or jerk”), later also in the phrases in a trice, on a trice, and with a trice. The word is ultimately from Middle English trīcen: see etymology 1 above.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontrīceenm
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "trīce"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English trīce"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "trīcen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English trīcen"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "trīce",
      "trice#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "trise",
      "trise#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "at a trīce",
      "at a trice#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "trīcen",
      "tricen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "etymology 1 above",
      "#Etymology 1"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Now only in the phrase in a trice: a very short time; the blink of an eye, an instant, a moment."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "56d18f6c49a5c552c1d2ffb66137cfdd97c6bf7c00fbf1bb2b0bdbeff3877fed",
      "rawRecordSha256": "532f665a079ed29feea9e54bb176f048af75c62eab4fed3ace71150685f3af58",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 240458
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A pulley, a windlass (“form of winch for lifting heavy weights, comprising a cable or rope wound around a cylinder”).

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

From Middle English trīce, tryys, tryyst, from Middle Dutch trīse, trijs (modern Dutch trijs (“hoisting-block, pulley, windlass”)) or Middle Low German trīsse, trītse (“hoisting-rope, tackle”); probably related to the verb trice (see etymology 1 above), and perhaps to Old English tryndel (“roller, wheel”) (see further at trend, trindle). The English word is cognate with Danish tridse, trisse (“pulley”), Low German trissel (“dizziness; whirling”), German trieze (“crane; pulley”), Norwegian triss (“pulley”), Swedish trissa (“pulley, truckle”).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "trīce"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English trīce"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "trīse"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch trīse"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "trijs",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hoisting-block, pulley, windlass"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch trijs (“hoisting-block, pulley, windlass”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "trīsse"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German trīsse"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "tryndel",
        "3": "",
        "4": "roller, wheel"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tryndel (“roller, wheel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "tridse"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish tridse"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "trissel",
        "3": "",
        "4": "dizziness; whirling"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German trissel (“dizziness; whirling”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "trieze",
        "3": "",
        "4": "crane; pulley"
      },
      "expansion": "German trieze (“crane; pulley”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "triss",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pulley"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian triss (“pulley”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "trissa",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pulley, truckle"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish trissa (“pulley, truckle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "trīce",
      "trice#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tryys",
      "tryys#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tryyst",
      "tryyst#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "trīse",
      "trise#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "trijs",
      "trijs#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "trijs",
      "trijs#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "trīsse",
      "trisse#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "trītse",
      "tritse#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "etymology 1 above",
      "#Etymology 1"
    ],
    [
      "tryndel",
      "tryndel#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "trend",
      "trend#English"
    ],
    [
      "trindle",
      "trindle#English"
    ],
    [
      "tridse",
      "tridse#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "trisse",
      "trisse#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "trissel",
      "trissel#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "trieze",
      "trieze#German"
    ],
    [
      "triss",
      "triss#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "trissa",
      "trissa#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pulley, a windlass (“form of winch for lifting heavy weights, comprising a cable or rope wound around a cylinder”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "fbac0cf8cb53cb3c49df90c696930c43bd7d02831d137795b8d9122182c60b4f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "558c7dd51aab9d08cc68163cb76393aefd25fe684a05601e0a48799143f8be8c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 240459
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 trice →

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-dHJpY2U