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Trice
Definitions
- 1 A surname.
- 1 Now only in the phrase in a trice: a very short time; the blink of an eye, an instant, a moment.
"Miſtruſtfully he truſteth, and he dreadingly did dare, / And fortie paſſions in a trice in him conſort and ſquare."
- 2 A pulley, a windlass (“form of winch for lifting heavy weights, comprising a cable or rope wound around a cylinder”). obsolete, rare
- 3 a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat) wordnet
- 1 To pull, to pull out or away, to pull sharply. obsolete, transitive
"The tent is made of light, close, unbleached duck, […] A window, six inches square, is fitted at the upper end with a flap to trice up or haul down."
- 2 hoist up or in and lash or secure with a small rope wordnet
- 3 To drag or haul, especially with a rope; specifically (nautical) to haul or hoist and tie up by means of a rope. transitive
"... the fold of his double chin hung like a bag triced up close under the hinge of his jaw."
- 4 raise with a line wordnet
Etymology
From Middle English trīcen, trice, trise (“to pull or push; to snatch away; to steal”), from Middle Dutch trīsen (“to hoist”) (modern Dutch trijsen) or Middle Low German trissen (“to trice the spritsail”); further etymology uncertain. The word is cognate with Danish trisse, tridse (“to haul with a pulley”), Low German trissen, tryssen, drisen, drysen (“to wind up, trice”), German trissen, triezen (“to annoy or torment”).
From Middle English trīce, trise, in the phrase at a trīce (“with a single, quick motion; at once”, literally “with a pull or jerk”), later also in the phrases in a trice, on a trice, and with a trice. The word is ultimately from Middle English trīcen: see etymology 1 above.
From Middle English trīce, tryys, tryyst, from Middle Dutch trīse, trijs (modern Dutch trijs (“hoisting-block, pulley, windlass”)) or Middle Low German trīsse, trītse (“hoisting-rope, tackle”); probably related to the verb trice (see etymology 1 above), and perhaps to Old English tryndel (“roller, wheel”) (see further at trend, trindle). The English word is cognate with Danish tridse, trisse (“pulley”), Low German trissel (“dizziness; whirling”), German trieze (“crane; pulley”), Norwegian triss (“pulley”), Swedish trissa (“pulley, truckle”).
See also for "trice"
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