SG Heritage Dictionary

Ternary [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. Proceeding by threes; consisting of three.

2. The ternary number, in antiquity, was esteemed a symbol of perfection and held in great veneration.

3. TERN'ARY

Ternary [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. Proceeding by threes; consisting of three; as, the ternary number was anciently esteemed a symbol of perfection, and held in great veneration.

2. Containing, or consisting of, three different parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are regarded as having different functions or relations in the molecule; thus, sodic hydroxide, NaOH, is a ternary compound.

Ternary [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

A ternion; the number three; three things taken together; a triad.