/
ˈtəːʃ(ə)ri/
adj.
- third in order or level.
▸chiefly Brit. relating to or denoting education at a level beyond that provided by schools.
- relating to or denoting medical treatment provided at a specialist institution.
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(Tertiary)
Geology relating to or denoting the first period of the Cenozoic era (between the Cretaceous and Quaternary periods, about 65 to 1.64 million years ago).
- Chemistry (of an organic compound) having its functional group on a carbon atom bonded to three other carbon atoms.
▸Chemistry derived from ammonia by replacement of three hydrogen atoms by organic groups.
n.
a lay associate of certain Christian monastic organizations.
Etymology
C16: from L. tertiarius ‘of the third part or rank’.