thrin, thrinne, a. (n.)
Forms: 1 þrinna, 3–4 þrinne, 3–5 thrinne, 4 þrynne, þrine, thrine, threin, thrijn, 5 thryn, 4 (9 n.) thrin.
[Late OE. þrinna, a. early ON. þrinn-r (later þrenn-r) triple, threefold; often = three (Sw. trenne, Da. trende), prob.:—OTeut. *þrizno-{supz}, f. *þris (Indo-Eur. *tris, Skr. tris, Gr. τρίς) thrice, with adj. ending: cf. L. trī-nus, pl. trī-nī = ternī.]
† A. adj. Threefold, triple; also three kinds of, three. An adj., but sometimes best rendered by ‘thrice’ (cf. ON. þrennar tylptir ‘triple twelves’, i.e. ‘thrice twelve’). Obs.
| a 1012 Laws æthelred iii. c. 13 Ladiᵹe hine mid þrinna xii [L. cum ter xii]; and se ᵹerefa namiᵹe þa lade. c 1200 Ormin 1144 Her habbe icc shæwedd þrinne lac Forr þrinne kinne leode. a 1300 Cursor M. 3381 Ysmael had wijfs thrin [v.rr. þrinne, thre]. c 1300 Havelok 716 Hauelok..he dide þer-inne, Him and his wif, hise sones þrinne, And hise two doutres. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1805 Þus vpon þrynne wyses I haf yow þro schewed. |
| absol. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 385 Þey departed þys land in þrynne. 13.. Cursor M. 9815 (Cott.) His hert aght ar atbrest in thrin [Gött. o thrinne]. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1727 Mane, Techal, Pharez, merked in þrynne. |
B. n. (in pl.) [
perh. a new formation after
twins.] Three children at a birth. ?
dial.| 1838 Thoreau Jrnl. 14 June (1949) I. 51 Truth, Goodness, Beauty,—those celestial thrins. 1878 Cumbld. Gloss., Thrins, three at a birth. 1887 Indian Med. Gaz. 1 Sept. 246 In the case of twins and thrins about three times more than in the case of singletons. |