# Is there a word to mean, e.g., "divisible by three"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581 "2009-02-19T18:51:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/1 "2009-02-19T18:51:22Z")
“Even” numbers are evenly divisible by two. “Round” numbers, in the common sense, are a bit more vaguely defined, but can often be understood to mean something like, “divisible by a power of ten no more than two orders of magnitude less than themselves.” Are there short words that can be used to describe sets of numbers with other common factors? Is there a word to mean, e.g., “divisible by three”? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/2 "2009-02-19T19:09:47Z")
threeven. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. No, I don’t know of one that’s more universally understood.) ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/3 "2009-02-19T20:54:34Z")
I can’t think of any. Remember that a lot of our math and counting words evolved in a time when people couldn’t do math. The words “two” and “half” are unrelated to each other, but “three” and “third”, “four” and “fourth” etc. are all clearly related. If “half” is the only fraction you understand, then “even” is a significant concept. Once people were educated enough to understand division and fractions, they could derive their own words for it and thus “multiple of three” was good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/4 "2009-02-19T21:03:32Z")
Well, “trisectable,” while not exactly a common word (and not used in this context, when it is used), would pretty much fit the bill. It does, however, lack any connotation of the three _integral_ equal parts. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/5 "2009-02-19T21:08:57Z")
Perhaps “[modulo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modulo_operation)” fits the bill? It’s not that much shorter than saying “divisible by” but you can say, for example, 7=5 (mod 2) or (7 mod 3) = (10 mod 3). There aren’t really any easy ways to express divisibility without resorting to math symbols anyway. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/6 "2009-02-19T21:16:50Z")
> **[Modular arithmetic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_arithmetic)** > > In mathematics, modular arithmetic is a system of arithmetic for integers, where numbers "wrap around" when reaching a certain value, called the modulus. The modern approach to modular arithmetic was developed by Carl Friedrich Gauss in his book Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, published in 1801. > A familiar use of modular arithmetic is in the 12-hour clock, in which the day is divided into two 12-hour periods. If the time is 7:00 now, then 8 hours later it will be 3:00. Simple addition would result ... Ooh, thanks, Jurph! I just saw the term “modulo” in a recent Staff Report but didn’t think to investigate further. Maybe there are some modular math terms that I can use. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/7 "2009-02-19T21:22:22Z")
[Ternary](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ternary) perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/8 "2009-02-19T22:20:05Z")
Evenly divisible by three. If you want to be fancy, you can say congruent to 0 mod 3. ---
**Author:** ![Seeker\_of\_Truth\_and\_Beauty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Seeker\_of\_Truth\_and\_Beauty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seeker_of_Truth_and_Beauty)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/9 "2009-02-19T22:24:23Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Evenly divisible by three. If you want to be fancy, you can say congruent to 0 mod 3. But that’s four words. OP was looking for one. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/10 "2009-02-19T22:31:18Z")
> [@Seeker of Truth & Beauty](#): > > But that’s four words. OP was looking for one. 😉 And had already provided a three-word solution. 🙂 But, in case it was **ultrafilter** ’s point to the OP, it’s worth asking: Why do you want a single word? Idle curiosity or do you actually think there is something you can do with one word for this which you can’t do with one short phrase? Because, you know, there isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/11 "2009-02-20T04:14:17Z")
Tripartite will do. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/12 "2009-02-20T05:26:44Z")
Thirdable. Sure, you can argue that 4 is thirdable, because 1 1/3 is one third of four, but if there were four apples, and three of us, how ya gunna third 'em? Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Bolt\_the\_Nut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bolt\_the\_Nut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bolt_the_Nut)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/13 "2009-02-20T06:04:51Z")
Multiple of three? Not one word, but can be easily modified for any number. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/14 "2009-02-20T14:57:40Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > Tripartite will do. Not really, no. Tripartite just means mde up of three parts. Period. They don’t have to be equal or even congruent parts so it wouldn’t necessarily fit the concept the OP is looking to express. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/15 "2009-02-20T17:05:22Z")
I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of even versus odd/uneven. Even/odd only pertain to a numbers relationship to two. Even means exactly divisible by two, whereas odd/uneven means not exactly divisible by two. That’s it! I suppose you could argue integer means exactly divisible by one, but odd doesn’t. Why three , what about four, five six, …etc. There aren’t single words to describe numbers that are exactly devisible by these either. I would assume the reason why there is no single word is that there really hasn’t been a necessity or as we can see in this thread, a consensus on what that word should be. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/16 "2009-02-20T17:22:21Z")
I would assume that, from a mathematical standpoint, “even” is a more interesting property than “evenly divisible by three.” Even + even = even, even + odd = odd, odd + odd = even. Tripart + tripart = tripart, but not necessarily odd or even. It’s also easy to look at a number of any length and know if it is odd or even — check the last digit — not so much with threes. It’s strange that we _don’t_ have divisible-by words for “by fives” and “by tens” which are just as easy to recognize as evens. It suggests the idea of “evens” and “odds” arose with the idea of sharing, possibly far predating the base-10 number system. I submit since “divide” derives from Latin meaning “to separate in two” the words _trivide_ and _trivisible_ might do. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/17 "2009-02-20T17:23:40Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of even versus odd/uneven. Not one single person in this thread is misunderstanding this; not even the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/18 "2009-02-20T17:49:08Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > Tripartite will do. How about Gaullian? [Cite.](http://classics.mit.edu/Caesar/gallic.1.1.html) Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/19 "2009-02-20T18:24:35Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > It’s also easy to look at a number of any length and know if it is odd or even — check the last digit — not so much with threes. Harder than simply looking at the last digit, but still not terribly difficult: Add up the digits that form the base-10 representation. If that sum is divisible by three, so is the original number. Apply recursively if needed. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581/20 "2009-02-20T20:55:30Z")
The word you need is ‘thridding’. Look it up, yes, there truly is such a word, even if it is almost obsolete in the rest of the English speakng world except Yorkshire (there may be more use of it in Scandinavian related nations), and it is the antecedant word for ‘riding’, it is also, unsurprisingly, the antecedant word for ‘third’. Riding is the word used to describe any one of the three county parts of Yorkshire - England, hence East Riding of Yorkshire, West Riding, and… well you get the picture. > **[Riding (division)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_(division))** > > A riding is an administrative jurisdiction or electoral district, particularly in several current or former Commonwealth countries. > The word riding is descended from late Old English þriðing or \*þriding (recorded only in Latin contexts or forms, e.g., trehing, treding, trithing, with Latin initial t here representing the Old English letter thorn). It came into Old English as a loanword from Old Norse þriðjungr, meaning a third part (especially of a county) – the original "ridings", in the Engli... [http://www.northeastengland.talktalk.net/About\_Yorkshire.htm](http://www.northeastengland.talktalk.net/About_Yorkshire.htm) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-to-mean-e-g-divisible-by-three/486581.md?page=2)