Tripos

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈtɹaɪpÉ’s/

Origin

Alteration of Latin tripus, as though with a Greek ending. For the examination: the word is supposed to refer to the three-legged stool formerly used at the examinations for these honours, though some derive it from the three brackets formerly printed on the back of the paper.

Full definition of tripos

Noun

1. (obsolete) A three-legged structure; a tripod.
• 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York Review of Books 2001, p. 73:Thales sent the golden tripos, which the fishermen found and the oracle commanded to be “given to the wisest”, to Bias, Bias to Solon, etc.
2. Any of the final examinations for a BA honours degree at Cambridge University.

Anagrams

• ripost