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I would like to split something into three parts. Is there a phrase I can use with similar overtones to "cleave in twain"?

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    After reading the contemporary meaning of twain I couldn't look at Mark Twain the same way.
    – speedyGonzales
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 8:52
  • What meaning? BTW, M.T. was the first man to prove the existence of god(s).
    – Gangnus
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 9:42
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    I think it's spelled "train"... :P
    – Josh Darnell
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 15:43
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    Sadly, "twain" has no three-way equivalent in English.
    – TonyK
    Commented Sep 10, 2016 at 22:38
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    You're going to have to make up a new word, to "threave". Beasts on your planet can have throven hooves.
    – TimR
    Commented Mar 16 at 10:57

11 Answers 11

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As far as meaning goes, you can use "cleave in three" or "cleave in thirds". More obscure and inexact is "cleave in terciles" or tertiles. The latter two words are statistical terms referring to "three [ordered] parts, each containing a third of the population" and "any one of the three groups so divided".

The rationale for "cleave in three" and "cleave in thirds" is that twain means two. In its etymology we find it " survived as a secondary form of two" in various cases, and also "in oral use where it is necessary to be clear that two and not to or too is meant."

Regarding other suggestions: My understanding of the many senses of tierce is that while all of them are related to the number three, none of them would make any sense in a phrase like "*cleave in tierce". Trey means "a playing card with the rank of three" or "a score of three in cards, dice, or dominoes".

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  • Actually I googled about tierce and trey. They both have meaning of the canonical sum one plus one plus one.
    – speedyGonzales
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 9:04
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    In my opinion, "cleave in terciles" is not even comprehensible. How you can suggest it as an analogue of "cleave in twain" is also beyond my comprehension.
    – TonyK
    Commented Sep 10, 2016 at 22:37
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I'll add one more, to the same pattern: trine.

I'm familiar with it mostly in astrology, where it refers to a separation of 120 degrees; a grand trine consists of three planets, each in a different sign, all with separations of 120°, forming an equilateral triangle when linked.

And I think cleave in trine would work nicely.

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  • This answer sounds quite euphonious! Though I doubt the implication behind "to the same pattern". I'm pretty sure that "trine" is a Romance borrowing, while "twain" is a direct Anglo-saxon descendant.
    – Mark Beadles
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 21:11
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    Yeah, the fact that they're both /t/ would tend to support that. On the other hand, that's a good thing for suggesting twain. As you say, it's euphonious, and sound symbolism pays no attention to etymology.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 22:05
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You could try the verb third. It's really no different from 'halve', but it has something of the archaic flavour you seem to be looking for.

(It goes back to Shakespeare: Two Noble Kinsmen i. ii. 96 What man Thirds his owne worth.)

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Trifurcate. (a bit too equal?) Trisect. (a bit too accurate?) Tripart. Trichotomize. The OED fizzles out after this.

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  • I think the questioner was asking for nouns to use in parallel to "twain", like "cleave in (something meaning three)".
    – Mark Beadles
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 21:12
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    Quite likely. I read it as that he was looking for a phrase like "cleave in twain". I mustn't jump to conclusions next time... :)
    – cormullion
    Commented Jan 13, 2012 at 22:03
  • "Trisect" is good. Just don't try it with an angle.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Sep 17, 2016 at 1:42
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The literal answer is, somewhat boringly, "in three". Tracing the etymology back to Old English when numbers had gender:

ModE two <- ME twa <- OE twa feminine-neuter form of "two"

ModE twain <- ME tweyne/tweien/twaine <- OE twegen, masculine form of twa "two"

but

ModE three <- ME three <- OE þrīe / þrēo, masculine/fem-neuter forms of "three"

But I suppose you are looking for something with a similar "flavor" rather than a strict parallel.

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Short answer: Threin

Long answer: It depends...

I just went down a rabbit hole trying to figure this out, and I believe I've found the answer.

Firstly: In my understanding of the modern usage of "twain", it's not fully synonymous with "two". "twain" suggests a connection or similarity between the parts, while "two" carries no such connotation.

Q: Is there a modern equivalent of "twain", but for "three parts"?
A: No

Q: Is there a historic equivalent of "twain", but for "three parts"?
A: Yes!

Middle English

twein/tweine/tweien(e)/tweiin(e)/twen(e)/twain(e)/...

Twain is just one of the fourty-something spellings of the same word, and their use is significantly more varied in Middle English than how twain is used today. It seems to be more commonly used in the same manner as twice, but I believe I've found a couple of instances where we can recognize its use as being pretty close to its modern counterpart:

Cloven in twain:

a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sln 1986)p.43 : Take almondes cloven in twen, Þat fryid ar with oyle, and set with wyn..And serve hit forthe.

Divided into twain:

a1450 Aelred Inst.(2) (Bod 423)16/621 : Charite is dyuyded in-to tweyne, loue of God and loue of thy neighboure.

Source:
The Middle English Compendium: Twein - see definition 2. (a)

thrin/thrinne/thrine/thriin/threin

Threin sees much less overall use, but I believe the first two of the following instances contain the usage we're looking for. I struggle with interpreting the third, but felt it might be relevant. And no, it does not originate from Latin, but rather from the Late Old English þrinna.

Burst in threin:

a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)9815 : His hert aght ar at brest in thrin Ar fra his comamentes tuin.

In threin his goods did he split:

a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)10178 : In thrin his godes did he dele.

(Uncertain)

a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)385 : Of Brutus cam sire Lokeryn..Iulyn: How þey departed þys land in þrynne, Þat may ȝe heren wel wyþynne.

Source:
The Middle English Compendium: Thrin - see definition 1. (b)

Conclusion

Threin is similar to twain in its form and feel; they share the same origin; and was used roughly to mean the same thing.

I.e.: Threin is to three, what twain is to two.

Disclaimer: This isn't my field of expertise. I'm just a fan of linguistic intricacies, and this answer is the result of only a single evening's research. I'll try to be prompt in fixing mistakes, but please check the comments for corrections.

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There was no 'mark three' because the objective in measuring the water depth, was simply to make sure it was deep enough to prevent the boats from running aground. Two fathoms is about 12 feet, which was deep enough for most any riverboat. Their hulls weren't very deep, so they could easily navigate rivers.

"Mark Twain" (meaning "Mark number two") was a Mississippi River term: the second mark on the line that measured depth signified two fathoms, or twelve feet—safe depth for the steamboat.

That said, treble may be used as an attributive adjective, meaning: Consisting of three parts; threefold (Oxford Dictionaries). So you could say:

  • I would like to split something treble.
  • I will cleave this rock treble.
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The closest is probably tierce. The second-closest is probably trey.

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I'd go for tern from the Middle English. Derived from the Latin terni and the French terene.

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  • But that's not a phrase with usage comparable to "cleave in twain". It's nonstandard in any application, whereas "cleave in twain" is recognized as a standard archaism.
    – Daniel
    Commented Jun 17, 2014 at 22:50
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    A source and example usage would go a long way.
    – dwjohnston
    Commented Jun 17, 2014 at 23:48
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    I like this one, although it's very obscure. In some programming languages there is an operator called the "ternary operator", meaning it is an operator with three parts: the conditional statement; the true result; and the false result. Now I know where the word "ternary" comes from. E.g. for C#: bool Go = LightColor == Green ? true : false;
    – Cyberherbalist
    Commented Jun 18, 2014 at 0:12
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George MacDonald Fraser in 'Quartered Safe out here' used a term like this. He was asked to destroy a boat with a bazooka and I think (don't have book anymore) I remember a line "Cleave it in twain, thrain if necessary"

You will have to check.

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What brought me here was watching probably the best-produced documentary I've ever seen called "Jerusalem," narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch no less, and I was thinking of the phrase, "never the [twain] shall meet," but in this case the city is split into three parts: Jewish, Muslim, and orthodox Christian. It appears that that there is no true analogue to this phrase, but to me "thrine" is best, even though "thrine" has Latin origins, and "twain" is Middle English.

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  • Use citations in answers, if you please.
    – lbf
    Commented Mar 25, 2018 at 0:35
  • There are four parts to the Old Town of Jerusalem: three you mentioned plus the Armenian quarter.
    – Mitch
    Commented Mar 25, 2018 at 0:57
  • @Mitch: In that case, the probable choice would be quatrain, no? As Kipling never said, "O, East is East and West is West/ And North is North and South is South/ But lest the least from forth the mouth/ Never quatrain shall meet."
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Mar 25, 2018 at 8:16

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