third

Third is the ordinal form of the number three, used to denote the position after first and second. It appears in dates (the third of May), rankings (finishing third), and enumerations (the third item on a list).

Etymology: the word derives from Old English thridda (also thridde), from Proto-Germanic *thridiz, related to thrice.

In mathematics and science, third power refers to the cube of a number; for example, 2 cubed is 8. The term third dimension refers to depth in space, complementing length and width in many models of geometry and physics. In music, a third is an interval spanning four semitones for a major third or three semitones for a minor third.

In language and literature, the third-person perspective narrates events from an external point of view; pronouns such as he, she, and it are third-person forms, and verbs in the present tense often take -s for third-person singular in English.

In social and cultural usage, the term Third World described developing countries during the Cold War; today it is less common and often replaced by “developing countries” or “Global South.” The term Third sector refers to non-profit and non-governmental organizations operating alongside the public and private sectors.