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tercentenary

tercentenary

1 9.9
A 300th anniversary of an important event
  • noun
  • /ˌtɜrˈsɛnˌtɛnəri/
  • UK
: tricentenario
  • The volume derives from a tercentenary conference held at Royal Holloway, University of London in July 2013, and the essays are meant to "exhibit some of the defining features both of the conference and of Sterne studies at this moment" (p. vii).

Examples

  • It was tercentenary time then; and what's more, I had just come freshly from another tercentenary, namely that of the Boston Latin School, from which I had just graduated in 1935.

    Academic text (2008)
  • At the tercentenary of Gilbert's death in 1903, Victorian and Edwardian physicians bestirred themselves to pay homage and even established a Gilbert Club.

    Academic text (1991)
  • After all, it was chiefly they who, in 1955, had organized tercentenary celebrations of British rule in Jamaica.

    Academic text (2000)
  • I returned to India yesterday after a 12-day halt in London for the Tercentenary Celebrations of the Royal Society and a 2-day halt in Paris.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Dixon took his photographs and his showmanship to the opening of the New York Commercial Tercentenary Exposition at the Grand Central Palace in March 1914.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Next year, we will celebrate the tercentenary of our town's founding with a grand parade.

  • The school hosted events to mark the tercentenary of its establishment, bringing together alumni and local residents.

  • In 2025, the institution will commemorate its tercentenary, highlighting three centuries of academic excellence.

Synonyms

tricentennial
vstercentenary
  • US
1 7.9

About a 300th anniversary or a period of 300 years

is the anniversary event or its celebration rather than a general term
tercentennial
vstercentenary
  • US
1 9.9

The 300th anniversary of an event or a celebration for it

has identical meaning but differs as an alternative form
tricentenary
vstercentenary
  • UK
9.5

Relating to a period of 300 years or a 300th anniversary

is the event or celebration itself rather than a descriptive form

Surface Forms

tercentenary singular

Morphology

tercentenary = centenary (semi-transparent) = ter + centenary

Formed by the prefix 'ter-' (three) attached to the familiar word 'centenary' (100th anniversary); the numeric prefix is less familiar to average learners, so the relation is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Tercentenary is made of ter- ('three') and centenary from cent ('hundred'), like century which means 100 years. So a tercentenary is the 300th anniversary or the celebration of 300 years.