thrice en · ADV
Pronunciation
- [θɾ̪̊ɑɪs] (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
- (Australia) audio
- /θɹaɪs/
- (General-American) audio
- [θɾ̪̊äɪs] (US)
- (US) audio
Etymology
PIE word *tréyes From Middle English thrice, thries (“three times, thrice; a third time; repeated three times”), from earlier thrī, thrīe (“three times, thrice; a third time”) (from Old English þriwa, þreowa) + -es (suffix forming adverbs of time, place, and manner) (from Old English -es (suffix forming adverbs)). The word is cognate with Old Frisian thria ("thrice"; > Saterland Frisian träie (“thrice”)), Middle Low German drîes (“thrice”), Middle High German drīes, drīs (“thrice”).
Meanings
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(Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, not-comparable, qualifier:somewhat dated outside Asia) Three times.
And then he [Bedivere] threw the sword into the water as far as he might, and there came an arm and a hand above the water, and met it and caught it, and so shook it thrice and brandished. And then the hand vanished away with the sword in the water.
1918, Thomas Malory, “The Sword Excalibur”, in William Patten, compiler, Heroes and Heroines of Chivalry (The Junior Classics; IV), New York, N.Y.: P[eter] F[enelon] Collier & Son Corporation, →OCLC, page 29:Thrice ore the caddow I mine armes outſpred: / Thrice did I fall, before I once could riſe: / Leaning vpon mine elbow for a reſt, / Nodding, I knockt my chin againſt my breſt. // Then ſigh’d, ſlipt downe, and twixt the ſheete and pillow / I nuzled in, joyn’d knees and chin together: / I dream’d I wore a garland of greene willow. / But ſnuffling low, I prickt me with a fether; / So wakt, the bolſter for my backe I choſe, / And yawning thrice, I rub’d mine eyes and roſe.
1601, Io[hn] Weeuer [i.e., John Weever], The Mirror of Martyrs, or The Life and Death of that Thrice Valiant Captaine, and Most Godly Martyre Sir Iohn Old-castle Knight Lord Cobham, [London]: Printed by V[alentine] S[immes] for William Wood, →OCLC:Roger Wildrake, also, who had twice or thrice put to his eyes what remained of a kerchief, interested by the lady's evident distress, though unable to comprehend the mysterious cause, hastened to assist the divine in supporting so fair a burthen.
1826, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Woodstock; Or, The Cavalier. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, →OCLC, page 107:The weyward Siſters, hand in hand, / Poſters of the Sea and Land, / Thus doe goe, about, about, / Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, / And thrice againe, to make vp nine, / Peace, the Charme’s wound vp.
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 132, column 1:And the second time the cocke crew : and Peter called to minde the word that Jesus ſaid unto him, Before the cocke crow twiſe, thou ſhalt denie me thriſe. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 14:72:Seven hours after giving birth […] Kate [Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge] gave the world a first glimpse of their third child, a new Prince of Cambridge. […] Minutes after the brief photocall, the couple headed home with William [the Duke of Cambridge] emerging with his son in a car seat and holding Kate’s hand. “Thrice the worry now,” a smiling William said, holding up three fingers.
2018 April 24, Richard Palmer, “Royal baby: ‘Thrice the worry now!’: Prince William captures the reality of parenthood”, in The Sunday Express, London, archived from the original on 15 Jun 2018:In his young Major League career, Paul Skenes has thrice pitched at least eight innings. In those three outings, he allowed a total of four runs and struck out at least eight batters all three times.
2025 June 4, Alex Stumpf, “'Win or Lose,' Skenes out to control what he can control”, in MLB:Once, twice, thrice, I met Young Lubin on the Green, / once, twice, thrice, Young Lubin he met me, / the firſt time I beheld the Lad he made a humble bow, / I bluſh'd and hung my ſilly head and felt I don't know how, […]
[1805?], [James] Hook, Once, Twice, Thrice, Sung with Great Applause by Mrs. Bland at Vauxhall Gardens, London: Printed for J. Dale, […], →OCLC, stanza 1, pages 4–5:He ordered somebody to inform Mr. Higgs that Captain Osborne was waiting, in a fierce and patronizing way, as if the pékin of an attorney, who had thrice his brains, fifty times his money, and a thousand times his experience, was a wretched underling who should instantly leave all his business in life to attend on the Captain's pleasure.
1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, “Between London and Chatham”, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 230:How far might I have been on my way by this time! I am made to tread thoſe ſteps thrice over, which I needed not to have trod but once: Yea, now alſo I am like to be benighted, for the day is almoſt ſpent.
1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, page 47:
Antonyms
Coordinates
once · frice · fourice · twice
Deriveds
what happens twice happens thrice · thrice removed · thrice-monthly · thrice-weekly · thricely
Hypernyms
Relateds
frequency · trifallow · thrissome · often
Synonyms
trebly · thrice · triply · treble · threefold · thricely
Translations (78)
hi तिबारा (three times) · ceb makatulo (three times) · ja 三倍 (three times) · ru три ра́за (three times) · fi kolmesti (three times) · nds dreimol (three times) · cs třikrát (three times) · ceb katulo (three times) · lb dräimol (three times) · yi דרײַ מאָל (three times) · ca tres cops (three times) · pdc dreimols (three times) · tr üç kere (three times) · ga trí huaire (three times) · fi kolme kertaa (three times) · sv tre gånger (three times) · ja 三回 (three times) · uk тричі (three times) · ca tres vegades (three times) · br teir gwech (three times) · kix sāmtìam (three times) · nl driemaal (three times) · no tre ganger (three times) · es ter (three times) · la ter (three times) · ko 세 번 (three times) · zu kathathu (three times) · sh три́пут (three times) · enm thrie (three times) · ka სამჯერ (three times) · es tres veces (three times) · et kolm korda (three times) · mk три пати (three times) · ca tres voltes (three times) · hu háromszor (three times) · eo trifoje (three times) · sk trikrát (three times) · he שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים (three times) · he פִּי שָׁלוֹשׁ (three times) · se golbmii (three times) · de dreimal (three times) · is þrisvar (three times) · pt três vezes (three times) · da tre gange (three times) · uga 𐎘𐎍𐎘𐎛𐎄 (three times) · sh tríput (three times) · grc τριάκις (three times) · it tre volte (three times) · sa त्रिस् (three times) · ar ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ (three times) · is þrívegis (three times) · cmn 三次 (three times) · mnc ᡳᠯᠠᠩᡤᡝᡵᡳ (three times) · tl makaitlo (three times) · nl driewerf (three times) · el τρις (three times) · pl trzykroć (three times) · fi kolmasti (three times) · ja 三度 (three times) · grc τρίς (three times) · sv trefalt (three times) · io trefoye (three times) · nci ēxpa (three times) · cy teirgwaith (three times) · enm thries (three times) · ang þreowa (three times) · ru три́жды (three times) · pl trzykrotnie (three times) · fr trois fois (three times) · ar ثَلَاثًا (three times) · ro de trei ori (three times) · cmn 三倍 (three times) · bg трикратно (three times) · hi तिगुना (three times) · pl trzy razy (three times) · gl tres veces (three times) · kw teyrgweyth (three times) · pdc dreimol (three times)