Triad

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tɹaɪ.æd/

Origin

From Latin triad-, stem of trias ("three, triad"), from Ancient Greek τριάς (trias); applied by British authorities to underground society in Hong Kong based on geometry of Chinese character.

Full definition of triad

Noun

1. A grouping of three.
2. (music) A chord consisting of a root tone, the tone two degrees higher, and the tone four degrees higher in a given scale.
3. (electronics) on a CRT display, a group of three neighbouring phosphor dots, coloured green, red, and blue.
4. A branch of a Chinese underground criminal society, mostly based in Hong Kong.

Synonyms

• (group of three) threesome, trine, trinity, trio, triplet, troika, triumvirate

Related terms

• triadic

Anagrams

• drait