ETYMOLOGY Latin triad-, trias, from Greek, from treis three
DATE 1546
1. a union or group of three :Trinity 2. a chord of three tones consisting of a root with its third and fifth and constituting the harmonic basis of tonal music • tri·ad·ic \\trī-ˈa-dik\\ adjective • tri·ad·i·cal·ly \\-di-k(ə-)lē\\ adverb