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tercio

TAIR-thyoh/ˈteɾθjo/

one-third

Also: third part
NounmA2
A round pie with exactly one-third slice separated from the rest.

📝 In Action

Solo comí un tercio de la pizza.

A1

I only ate one-third of the pizza.

Casi un tercio de los estudiantes faltó a clase.

B1

Almost a third of the students missed class.

Añade un tercio de taza de azúcar a la mezcla.

A2

Add one-third of a cup of sugar to the mixture.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • tercera parte (third part)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • un tercio de – a third of
  • dos tercios – two thirds
  • el último tercio – the last third

33cl bottle of beer

NounmB1informal
Spain
A small brown glass bottle of beer sitting on a wooden bar counter.

📝 In Action

Camarero, ¿me pone un tercio, por favor?

B1

Waiter, can I have a bottle of beer, please?

Prefiero un tercio a una caña.

B2

I prefer a bottle of beer to a small glass of draft beer.

He traído un pack de seis tercios.

B1

I brought a six-pack of beer bottles.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • botellín (small bottle)

Common Collocations

  • un tercio de cerveza – a 33cl bottle of beer

tercio

Also: stage
NounmC1formal
A group of historical Spanish soldiers holding long pikes and wearing metal helmets.

📝 In Action

Los tercios españoles fueron famosos en toda Europa.

C1

The Spanish tercios were famous throughout Europe.

La faena entra ahora en el tercio de varas.

C2

The bullfight is now entering the stage of the lances.

Estudiamos la organización del tercio en clase de historia.

C1

We studied the organization of the 'tercio' in history class.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • tercio de varas – first stage of a bullfight
  • tercio de banderillas – second stage of a bullfight
  • tercio de muerte – final stage of a bullfight

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "tercio" in Spanish:

one-third→stage→tercio→third part→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: tercio

Question 1 of 3

If you are at a bar in Madrid and want a standard bottle of beer, what should you ask for?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
tercero(third (position)) — Adjective
terciar(to divide into three / to intervene) — Verb
tercet(triplet / trio) — Noun
terciopelo(velvet) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin 'tertius', meaning 'third'. It originally described anything related to the number three or divided into three parts.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: tierceItalian: terzo

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'tercio' and 'tercero'?

'Tercio' is a fraction (1/3), while 'tercero' is an ordinal number used for ranking (3rd place).

Why is a beer called a 'tercio'?

It is called a 'tercio' because the bottle contains 33 centiliters, which is approximately one-third of a liter.

Is 'tercio' used for 'third' in dates?

No. For dates like 'the third of May', you use 'el tres de mayo' or 'el tercero'.