Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TERTIARY

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

explore the archives: Tertiary things come third, like secondary things come second and primary things first. Another word for "primary" is "ultimate." Could you recall the dramatic-sounding noun equivalent of "ultimate"? It means the state of being the best, being the highest, or being the most basic and important. make your point with... "TERTIARY" Primary things are the most important or the most basic, or they simply come first. Secondary things are second in importance, second-most basic, or simply come second. And tertiary things are third in importance, third-most basic, or they simply come third. Pronunciation: TUR she air ee Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a tertiary concern." 2. After a linking verb, as in "That concern was tertiary.") Other forms: In certain contexts, you can use "tertiary" as a noun meaning "something tertiary." Although we've got the adverbs "primarily" and "secondarily," use "tertiarily" at your own risk; it's rare. How to use it: This word has specific meanings in oodles of fields, from grammar to chemistry to categories of U.S. roads to colors in art to stages in pathology. But we'll focus on general usage.  Here's why "tertiary" is worth knowing. You don't have to dichotomize stuff as either "major" or "minor." Nor do you have to make everything either "primary" or "secondary." Because here's "tertiary," the super-useful adjective for describing your third-most important reasons, goals, concerns, outcomes, and other aspects of life. For example, you might have a main reason, a minor reason, and a tertiary reason for doing something. You might have a primary goal that you care deeply about, a secondary goal that's also pretty important, and a tertiary goal that, if you were to reach it, would just be neato. You can dismiss someone else's goals or concerns as tertiary, or discuss the tertiary characters in a show or book, or complain about being relegated to a tertiary role in some specific situation. There's tertiary (medical) care and tertiary education, tertiary markets in the economy, and tertiary players on a sports team who will hardly ever see any action in the game. Although I love this word, I'll still caution you to pick the simpler "third" instead if it'll express your idea just fine. And although you probably won't need them, the words that follow (1) primary, (2) secondary, and (3) tertiary are (4) quaternary, (5) quinary, (6) senary, (7) septenary, (8) octonary, (9) nonary, and (10) denary. examples: Like Katniss Everdeen's bow and Harry Potter's scar, the most important symbol in a story might represent not just primary and secondary concepts but tertiary ones, too. Despite your warm and fuzzy slogan, I suspect that in the grand scheme of your marketing plan here, my happiness is a tertiary concern. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "tertiary" means when you can explain it without saying "not first and not even second" or "low on the scale of importance." try it out: Think of your top three priorities in life. Or, think of the top three reasons you love your work or your hobby, and fill in the blanks: "_____ comes first, but I also do care about _____. _____ is tertiary to these." Example: "Okay, here's why I love reading. That sense of calm and silent enjoyment comes first, but I also do care about learning more about the world and about how other people think. Escapism is tertiary to these. I'm lucky to have a happy life that doesn't need fictional worlds to hide in. 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. Well-Named Creatures: Some names for animals and other creatures define themselves instantly or after a brief moment’s thought: anteater, grasshopper, hummingbird, seahorse, octopus (eight-foot). But other names deserve some exploration; they hold hidden clues about what the animals look like or what they do. And sometimes the names reveal how baffled people were when they first caught a glimpse of the creatures and tried to name them. This month, I’ll give you the literal meaning of a creature's name, and you come up with what it is. Answers will appear in alphabetical order this month. (Oh, and the answers might be animals, birds, insects, or even extinct creatures.) Enjoy! From yesterday: A "white dog" is an o______. (It's not a dog! Don't pet it!) Answer: It's an opossum, from the Powhatan language. Try this one today: A "bird of prey" is an o______. review today's word: 1. The opposite of TERTIARY is A. OCEANIC B. ULTIMATE C. SMOOTH 2. He surprised the interviewers, even made them a little incredulous, by claiming that _____ was a tertiary concern. A. the style of furnishings in his office B. his early work history C. salary 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. B 2. C