TERN

Any one of numerous species of long-winged aquatic birds, allied to the gulls, and belonging to Sterna and various allied genera.

Threefold; triple; consisting of three; ternate. Tern flowers (Bot.), flowers growing three and three together. -- Tern leaves (Bot.), leaves arranged in threes, or three by three, or having three in each whorl or set. -- Tern peduncles (Bot.), three peduncles growing together from the same axis. -- Tern schooner (Naut.), a three-masted schooner.

That which consists of, or pertains to, three things or numbers together; especially, a prize in a lottery resulting from the favorable combination of three numbers in the drawing; also, the three numbers themselves. She'd win a tern in Thursday's lottery. Mrs. Browning.