trifid

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *tréyes

Proto-Indo-European *tri-

Proto-Italic *tri-

Latin tri-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-

Proto-Indo-European *-né-

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *bʰinédti

Proto-Italic *findō

Latin findō

Proto-Indo-European *-ós

Proto-Indo-European *-ós

Proto-Indo-European *-ós

Proto-Indo-European *-ós

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Italic *-os

Old Latin -os

Latin -us

Latin -fidus

Latin trifidusbor.

English trifid

From Latin trifidus, from tri- (“three”) + -fidus, form of findere (“to split”).

Adjective

trifid (not comparable)

1. (botany) Divided into three lobes.
   • 1850, George Luxford, Edward Newman, The Phytologist: A Popular Botanical Miscellany, page 1058:

     The leafits are four or five pairs, with a trifid terminal leafit.

Coordinate terms

• bifid, quadrifid, quinquefid, sexfid/sexifid, octofid, novemfid, decemfid, duodecimfid, centifidous, multifid/multifidous

Derived terms

• subtrifid
• trifid cipher
• trifidly