tertial

1 of 2

adjective

ter·​tial

ˈtərshəl

1

: of, relating to, or constituting the flight feathers borne on the basal joint of a bird's wing compare primary sense 2c

2

: of, relating to, or constituting some of the innermost secondaries when different from the others or the scapular feathers

—not used technically

tertial

2 of 2

noun

"

plural -s

: a tertial feather

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin tertius third + English -al; from the fact that tertials form the third row of feathers

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