three,
τρία,τά: gen.τριῶν: dat.τρισί,also
A.
τριοῖσι
Hippon. 51
, and τρίεσσι
Delph. 3(5).80.21
(iv B. C.); Aeol.
τρίσσι
Inscr.Perg. 245
B 18 (Pitana): acc.τρεῖς(writtenτρες
IG 12.24.16 , 44.15 , 188.37 , 1085 , al.),τρία: Dor. nom. τρέες
Leg.Gort. 9.48
; τρῆς
IG 12(3).1640
(Thera); τρῖς
SIG 236
A 10 (Delph.,iv B. C.), Tab.Heracl. 1.23 ; acc. τρίινς
Leg.Gort. 5.54
, al. (forΤρίνς,lengthd. to correspond with the other cases); τρῖς
IG 12.838
, 839
(vi B. C.), SIG 239
D ii 28 (Delph.,iv B. C.), Berl.Sitzb. 1927.158 (Cyrene):—three,
Il. 15.187 , etc.;τρία ἔπεα threewords, prov. in Pi. N. 7.48 ,—for from the earliest timesthreewas a sacred and lucky number, esp. with the Pythagoreans (cf.τριάς), Arist. Cael. 268a11 ; so τῶν τριῶν μίαν λαβεῖν εὔσοιαν
S. Fr. 122
;εἰ καὶ τῶν τριῶν ἓν οἴσομαιib. 908 ; cf. σωτήρ
1.2
:—διὰ τριῶν ἀπόλλυμαιI amthrice,i. e.utterly,undone, E. Or. 434 (cf.τριάζω); ἡ διὰ τριῶν ἀγωγήthe 'trivium', Simp. in Ph. 1171.34 ; ἵνα δήσῃ τρία τρία by threes,
POxy. 121.19
(iii A. D.). (I.- E. stemtr[icaron]-,fuller formtrey-,nom.tréy-es(Skt.tráyas,Lat.tres), whenceτρέες,
contr.
τρῆςandτρεῖς(writtenτρες
IG 12.295.11 ); acc.tri-ns(Goth.prins,Skt.tr[imacracute]n), whenceτρῖςandτρίινς;in Gr. the nom.τρεῖςfunctions as acc. (as in Att. ), or the acc.τρῖςas nom. (ll. cc.).)
