~ 1
■ adjective
1》 consisting of three parts.
2》 multiplied or occurring three times.
■ predeterminer three times as much or as many.
■ noun
1》 Brit. three sporting victories or championships in the same season, event, etc.
2》 Darts a hit on the narrow ring enclosed by the two middle circles of a dartboard, scoring ~.
3》 Brit. a system of betting in which the winnings and stake from the first bet are transferred to a second and then (if successful) to a third.
4》 a thing which is three times larger than usual or is made up of three parts.
■ pronoun an amount which is three times as large as usual.
■ verb make or become ~.
Origin
ME: via OFr. from L. triplus (see triple ).
————————
~ 2
■ noun
1》 a high-pitched voice, especially a boy's singing voice.
2》 [as modifier ] denoting a relatively high-pitched member of a family of instruments.
↘(also ~ bell ) the smallest and highest-pitched bell of a ring or set.
3》 the high-frequency output of a radio or audio system, corresponding to the ~ in music.
Origin
ME: from ~ 1 , because it was the highest part in a three-part contrapuntal composition.