Pronunciation: ˌ t ə r-sh ē - ə m- ' kwid, ˌ t ə r-t ē -
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin, literally, third something; from its failing to fit into a dichotomy
Date: circa 1724
1 : a middle course or an intermediate component <where there are two systems of law and two orders of courts, there must ⋯ be some tertium quid to deal with conflicts of law and jurisdiction ― Ernest Baker>
2 : a third party of ambiguous status <there was a man and his wife and a tertium quid ― Rudyard Kipling>