tertian Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective relating to symptoms (especially malarial fever) that appear every other day
    • tertian fever
  2. adjective of or relating to a tonal system based on major thirds
    • a tertian tonal system

WordNet

Ter"tian adjective
Etymology
L. tertianus, from tertius the third. See Tierce.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) Occurring every third day; as, a tertian fever.
Ter"tian noun
Etymology
L. tertiana (sc. febris): cf. OF. tertiane.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) A disease, especially an intermittent fever, which returns every third day, reckoning inclusively, or in which the intermission lasts one day.
  2. A liquid measure formerly used for wine, equal to seventy imperial, or eighty-four wine, gallons, being one third of a tun.

Webster 1913