tern1

[turn] /tɜrn/
noun
1.
any of numerous aquatic birds of the subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae, related to the gulls but usually having a more slender body and bill, smaller feet, a long, deeply forked tail, and a more graceful flight, especially those of the genus Sterna, as S. hirundo (common tern) of Eurasia and America, having white, black, and gray plumage.
Origin
1670-80; < Danish terne or Norwegian terna; cognate with Old Norse therna

tern2

[turn] /tɜrn/
noun
1.
a set of three.
2.
three winning numbers drawn together in a lottery.
3.
a prize won by drawing these.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English terne < Middle French < Italian terno < Latin ternus, singular of ternī three each, triad, akin to ter thrice; see three
Examples from the web for tern
  • The former is a species of gannet, and the latter a tern.
  • Skimmers and thick-billed tern were plentiful here right in the heart of the continent.
  • These nine-inch long birds are the smallest member of the gull and tern family.
  • Nesting gulls were removed and tern decoys were scattered across the island.
British Dictionary definitions for tern

tern1

/tɜːn/
noun
1.
any aquatic bird of the subfamily Sterninae, having a forked tail, long narrow wings, a pointed bill, and a typically black-and-white plumage: family Laridae (gulls, etc), order Charadriiformes
Word Origin
C18: from Old Norse therna; related to Norwegian terna, Swedish tärna

tern2

/tɜːn/
noun
1.
a three-masted schooner
2.
(rare) a group of three
Word Origin
C14: from Old French terne, from Italian terno, from Latin ternī three each; related to Latin ter thrice, trēs three
Word Origin and History for tern
n.

gull-like shore bird (subfamily Sterninae), 1670s, via East Anglian dialect, from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish terne, Swedish tärna, Færoese terna) related to Old Norse þerna "tern," cognate with Old English stearn "starling."

Slang definitions & phrases for tern

tern

noun

An intern (1970s+ Medical)