three year old
12
3.9
- noun
- /θri jɪr oʊld/
- Jargon
:
caballo de tres años
- He's three years old.
Examples
-
At the shelter, they have several three-year-olds available for adoption.
-
"A shot at the Breeders' Cup Classic, though, to tell you the truth, all of these three-year-olds come up suddenly these days."
Fiction book (2000) -
Three-year-old stallion I been saving just for you.
-
In parties of two and three-year-olds, a child hears over and again the injunction, "May you not wet your pants."
Academic text (1991) -
My daughter was just greeted by her three-year-old best friend with, "G, look, I have Dora panties!"
Blog text (24) -
In the upcoming race, only three-year-olds will be eligible to compete for the prize.
-
The trainer specializes in preparing three-year-olds for their first season of racing.
Synonyms
45
1.3
A person, animal, or thing that is three years old
A horse that is three years old and usually races only against others of the same age
How Old
103
1.0
70
1.0
- Jargon
12
3.9
80
1.4
8
6.5
14
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a horse that is three years old' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'three' (the number) + 'year' (time unit) + 'old' (age), following the common English pattern 'three-year-old' to indicate age. This is a straightforward compositional pattern found across languages and involves no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Three year old comes from horse racing, where top races only allow horses that are three years old, so the term means 'a horse that is three years old'.