| trident | 1. A kind of scepter or spear with three prongs, the common attribute of Neptune. 2. A three-pronged spear or goad, used for urging horses; also, the weapon used by one class of gladiators. 3. A three-pronged fish spear. 4. <geometry> A curve of third order, having three infinite branches in the direction and a fourth infinite branch in the opposite direction. <zoology> Trident bat, an Asiatic rhinolophid bat (Triaenops Persicus), having the nose membrane in the shape of a trident. Origin: L. Tridens, -entis; tri- (see Tri-) + dens tooth: cf. F. Trident. See Tooth. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| trident hand | A hand in which the fingers are of nearly equal length and deflected at the first interphalangeal joint, so as to give a forklike shape; seen in achondroplasia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tridentate | Three-toothed; three-pronged. Synonym: trident. Origin: tri-+ L. Dentatus, toothed (05 Mar 2000) |