Wordnet 3.0
ADJECTIVE (2)
1.
relating to symptoms (especially malarial fever) that appear every other day;
- Example: "tertian fever"2.
of or relating to a tonal system based on major thirds;
- Example: "a tertian tonal system"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Tertian \Ter"tian\, a. [L. tertianus, from tertius the third.
See Tierce.] (Med.)
Occurring every third day; as, a tertian fever.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Tertian \Ter"tian\, n. [L. tertiana (sc. febris): cf. OF.
tertiane.]
1. (Med.) A disease, especially an intermittent fever, which
returns every third day, reckoning inclusively, or in
which the intermission lasts one day.
[1913 Webster]
2. A liquid measure formerly used for wine, equal to seventy
imperial, or eighty-four wine, gallons, being one third of
a tun.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
tertian
adj 1: relating to symptoms (especially malarial fever) that
appear every other day; "tertian fever"
2: of or relating to a tonal system based on major thirds; "a
tertian tonal system"