Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TERTIUM QUID

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explore the archives: In "tertium quid," you'll recognize "tertium," meaning "third." Could you recall another word that looks like "tertium" and means not first, not second, but a lowly third in priority? make your point with... "TERTIUM QUID" Latin for "third thing," a tertium quid is a third, often mysterious thing that's related to (but different from) two other things that are better understood. In other words, whenever you have two opposites or two separate factors, there's often a tertium quid: a third thing that can't be classified as either of the opposites, or a third thing that somehow links the two separate factors. Pronunciation: TER she um KWID Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one tertium quid, a tertium quid, or the tertium quid. We don't usually make it plural.) Other forms: none How to use it: You can use this phrase to talk about politics, research studies and statistics, the physical sciences, art and literature, and probably anything else! Call something a tertium quid when you're not sure exactly what it is, but you definitely know it's not a certain first or second thing.  "Tertium quid" was originally used by alchemists: it was a third and new substance you'd get, rather mysteriously, by mixing two others. Because "tertium quid" still has that chemical and magical flavor to it, you might talk about compounding a tertium quid from two very different things (like opinions or assessments), or brewing a tertium quid, concocting one, distilling one, etc. You can say there might be a tertium quid between one thing and another (or say that there definitely is one or should be one); or point out how a new thing or new idea came along to fulfill the need for a tertium quid; or suggest that a tertium quid must be responsible for a certain correlation between two things; or, when faced with two options that you don't like, you might invent a third option as a tertium quid or combine/reconcile the two options in a tertium quid. Just as often, it's useful to point out when there is no tertium quid: when it's either this or that and nothing else, or when a person or a group recognizes or acknowledges no tertium quid between two classifications. examples: In the typical utopian story, you have this rigid world where there's no tertium quid between acceptable and unacceptable human characteristics and behaviors. It makes me think the authors are shouting all together for us to quit shunning diversity. Maybe I'm cynical, but when I read through these correlational studies that try to imply causation between some major outcome and some minor factor, I automatically start looking for the tertium quid.  study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "tertium quid" means when you can explain it without saying "new, unknown factor" or "neither this nor that but something else entirely." try it out: Think of a topic that some people view as totally black and white, and fill in the blanks: "Surely there's some tertium quid between (one extreme) and (the opposite extreme)." Example: "Surely there's some tertium quid between staying true to the Constitution and preventing gun-related atrocities." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Language Techniques: When language sounds beautiful or memorable, often there’s some particular technique responsible for that effect. Each day this month, I’ll give you a specific stylistic technique or quality, and I’d like you to recreate (as closely as you can) the quote that I’ve botched by removing it. We’ll work our way from the easiest to the hardest techniques. Enjoy! From yesterday: Not to be confused with the ellipse, which is that triple dot you use to pause, ellipsis is when you leave out certain words or phrases because they'll be understood anyway. For example, Oscar Wilde stated, "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." He didn't say "...others cause happiness whenever they go." Mark Twain didn't write, "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't obliged to do that." What did he write instead? Answer: "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." Try this one today: The active voice is what you're using when you let your subjects take action, as in "She made mistakes." It's often more powerful and direct than the passive voice, which is when you just say that the action was done, as in "Mistakes were made" or "Mistakes were made by her." Some English teachers hate the passive voice so much that they ban it, but still, there's a time and a place for it! Many proverbs, for instance, make excellent use of the passive voice. Some that we often repeat don't go like this: "Someone makes marriages in heaven." "Nobody built Rome in a day." And, Caesar didn't say, "Somebody cast the die." How do these phrases usually appear? (Restore these active-voice versions to the more graceful passive voice in which they are usually said.) review today's word: 1. The closest opposite of TERTIUM QUID is A. TERTIUS GAUDENS (someone who benefits from other groups' conflict) B. TERTIUM COMPARATIONIS (the common ground between two other things) C. TERTIUM NON DATUR (the absence of a third possibility) 2.  Suddenly we found ourselves considering the existence of a tertium quid between _____. A. peanut butter and jelly B. Katy Perry and Lily Allen C. fiction and nonfiction Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C