terna

Faroese

terna - Arctic tern

Etymology 1

From Old Norse þerna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtʰɛtna/

Noun

terna f (genitive singular ternu, plural ternur)

1. tern (Sterna paradisaea)

Declension

f1	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	terna	ternan	ternur	ternurnar
accusative	ternu	ternuna	ternur	ternurnar
dative	ternu	ternuni	ternum	ternunum
genitive	ternu	ternunnar	terna	ternanna

Hyponyms

• faksaterna
• fransaterna
• kriterna
• vongsvørt terna

Etymology 2

From Old Norse þerna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtʰɛɻɳa/

Noun

terna f (genitive singular ternu, plural ternur)

1. maid
2. stewardess, air hostess

Declension

f1	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	terna	ternan	ternur	ternurnar
accusative	ternu	ternuna	ternur	ternurnar
dative	ternu	ternuni	ternum	ternunum
genitive	ternu	ternunnar	terna	ternanna

Synonyms

• (air hostess): flogterna

Indonesian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old Javanese tṛṇa, from Sanskrit तृण (tṛṇa, “grass, herb, straw”). Compare Javanese ꦠꦼꦂꦤ (terna, “sprout”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /tərˈna/ [t̪ərˈna]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ter‧na

Noun

terna (plural terna-terna)

1. (botany) herb; herbaceous plant

Further reading

• “terna”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

A backhoe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛr.na/
• Rhymes: -ɛrna
• Hyphenation: tèr‧na

Noun

terna f (plural terne)

1. backhoe, backhoe loader, loader excavator

Further reading

• “terna”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026
• “terna” in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
• terna in Dizionario di Italiano online - La Repubblica

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈtɛr.na]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈtɛr.na]
• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈtɛr.naː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈtɛr.na]

Numeral

terna

1. inflection of ternus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Numeral

ternā

1. ablative feminine singular of ternus

References

• "terna", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• ternen

Noun

terna m or f

1. definite feminine singular of terne

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

terna f

1. definite singular of terne

Portuguese

Adjective

terna

1. feminine singular of terno

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈteɾna/ [ˈt̪eɾ.na]
• Rhymes: -eɾna
• Syllabification: ter‧na

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin ternī (“three by three, three each”).

Noun

terna f (plural ternas)

1. set of three
2. short list of three candidates

Etymology 2

Verb

terna

1. inflection of ternar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “terna”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 24th edition, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 30 October 2026