[syn: trice, trice up]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Trice \Trice\, n. [Sp. tris the noise made by the breaking of
glass, an instant, en un tris in an instant; probably of
imitative origin.]
A very short time; an instant; a moment; -- now used only in
the phrase in a trice. "With a trice." --Turbervile. " On a
trice." --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
A man shall make his fortune in a trice. --Young.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Trice \Trice\, v. t. [OE. trisen; of Scand. or Low German
origin; cf. Sw. trissa a sheave, pulley, triss a spritsail
brace, Dan. tridse a pulley, tridse to haul by means of a
pulley, to trice, LG. trisse a pulley, D. trijsen to hoist.]
[Written also trise.]
1. To pull; to haul; to drag; to pull away. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Out of his seat I will him trice. --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Naut.) To haul and tie up by means of a rope.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
trice
n 1: a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or
the heart to beat); "if I had the chance I'd do it in a
flash" [syn: blink of an eye, flash, heartbeat,
instant, jiffy, split second, trice, twinkling,
wink, New York minute]
v 1: raise with a line; "trice a window shade" [syn: trice,
trice up]
2: hoist up or in and lash or secure with a small rope [syn:
trice, trice up]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
27 Moby Thesaurus words for "trice":
breath, coup, crack, flash, half a jiffy, half a mo, half a second,
half a shake, instant, jiff, jiffy, microsecond, millisecond,
minute, moment, sec, second, shake, split second, stroke, tick,
twink, twinkle, twinkling, twitch, two shakes, wink