Added 9 October 2026
triad
/ˈtɹaɪ.æd/ noun
Latin root: triad Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about triad at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A grouping of three.
- A romantic or sexual relationship between three individuals; a throuple.
- A word of three syllables.
Origin
PIE word *tréyes From Latin triad-, stem of trias (“three, triad”), from Ancient Greek τριάς (triás). By surface analysis, tri- + -ad. Sense 3 (“branch of a Chinese underground criminal society”) is due to the word being applied by the British authorities to underground society in Hong Kong based on the geometry of the Chinese character, derived from a name used by some of those societies, 三合會 /三合会 (sānhéhuì, “Three Harmonies Society”), referring to the union between heaven, earth, and humanity.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)