Threaten transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Threatened ; present participle & verbal noun Threatening .] [ Middle English þretenen . See Threat , transitive verb ]
1. To utter threats against; to menace; to inspire with apprehension; to alarm, or attempt to alarm, as with the promise of something evil or disagreeable; to warn.

Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

Acts iv. 17.

2. To exhibit the appearance of (something evil or unpleasant) as approaching; to indicate as impending; to announce the conditional infliction of; as, to threaten war; to threaten death. Milton.

The skies look grimly
And threaten present blusters.

Shak.

Syn. -- To menace. -- Threaten , Menace . Threaten is Anglo-Saxon, and menace is Latin. As often happens, the former is the more familiar term; the latter is more employed in formal style. We are threatened with a drought; the country is menaced with war.

By turns put on the suppliant and the lord:
Threatened this moment, and the next implored.

Prior.

Of the sharp ax
Regardless, that o'er his devoted head
Hangs menacing .

Somerville.

Threaten intransitive verb To use threats, or menaces; also, to have a threatening appearance.

Though the seas threaten , they are merciful.

Shak.

Threatener noun One who threatens. Shak.

Threatening adjective & noun from Threaten , v. -- Threat"en*ing*ly , adverb

Threatening letters (Law) , letters containing threats, especially those designed to extort money, or to obtain other property, by menaces; blackmailing letters.

Threatful adjective Full of threats; having a menacing appearance. Spenser. -- Threat"ful*ly , adverb

Threave noun Same as Thrave . [ Obsolete]

Three adjective [ Middle English þre , þreo , þri , Anglo-Saxon þrī , masc., þreó , fem. and neut.; akin to OFries. thre , Old Saxon thria , threa , Dutch drie , German drei , Old High German drī , Icelandic þrīr , Dan. & Swedish tre , Goth. þreis , Lithuanian trys , Ir., Gael. & W. tri , Russian tri , Latin tres , Greek trei^s , Sanskrit tri . √301. Confer 3d Drilling , Tern , adjective , Third , Thirteen , Thirty , Tierce , Trey , Tri- , Triad , Trinity , Tripod .] One more than two; two and one. "I offer thee three things." 2 Sam. xxiv. 12.

Three solemn aisles approach the shrine.

Keble.

» Three is often joined with other words, forming compounds signifying divided into , composed of , or containing , three parts , portions , organs , or the like; as, three -branched, three -capsuled, three -celled, three -cleft, three -edged, three -foot, three - footed, three -forked, three -grained, three -headed, three -legged, three -mouthed, three -nooked, three -petaled, three -pronged, three -ribbed, three -seeded, three -stringed, three -toed, and the like.

Three noun
1. The number greater by a unit than two; three units or objects.

2. A symbol representing three units, as 3 or iii.

Rule of three . (Arith.) See under Rule , noun

Three-coat adjective (Architecture) Having or consisting of three coats; -- applied to plastering which consists of pricking-up, floating, and a finishing coat; or, as called in the United States, a scratch coat, browning, and finishing coat.

Three-color adjective Designating, or pert. to, a photomechanical process employing printings in three colors, as red, yellow, and blue.

Three-cornered adjective
1. Having three corners, or angles; as, a three-cornered hat.

2. (Botany) Having three prominent longitudinal angles; as, a three-cornered stem.

Three-decker noun (Nautical) A vessel of war carrying guns on three decks.

Three-flowered adjective (Botany) Bearing three flowers together, or only three flowers.

Three-handed adjective Said of games or contests where three persons play against each other, or two against one; as, a three-handed game of cards.

Three-leafed, Three-leaved adjective (Botany) (a) Producing three leaves; as, three-leaved nightshade. (b) Consisting of three distinct leaflets; having the leaflets arranged in threes.

Three-leaved nightshade . See Trillium .

Three-lobed adjective Having three lobes.

Three-lobed leaf (Botany) , a leaf divided into three parts, the sinuses extending not more than half way to the middle, and either the parts of the sinuses being rounded.

Three-mile adjective Of or pertaining to three miles; as, the three-mile limit, or the limit of the marine belt (the three-mile belt or zone ) of three miles included in territorial waters (which see) of a state.

Three-nerved adjective Having three nerves.

Three-nerved leaf (Botany) , a leaf having three distinct and prominent ribs, or nerves, extending from the base.

Three-parted adjective Divided into, or consisting of, three parts; tripartite.

Three-parted leaf (Botany) , a leaf divided into three parts down to the base, but not entirely separate.

Three-pile noun An old name for the finest and most costly kind of velvet, having a fine, thick pile.

I have served Prince Florizel and in my time wore three- pile .

Shak.

Three-piled adjective
1. Having the quality of three-pile; best; most costly. [ R.]

Thou art good velvet; thou 'rt three-piled piece.

Shak.

2. Fig.: Extravagant; exaggerated; high- flown. " Three-piled hyperboles." Shak.

3. Accustomed to wearing three-pile; hence, of high rank, or wealth. [ Obsolete] " Three-piled people." Beau. & Fl.

Three-ply adjective Consisting of three distinct webs inwrought together in weaving, as cloth or carpeting; having three strands; threefold.

Three-pointed adjective (Botany) Having three acute or setigerous points; tricuspidate.

Three-port adjective Having three ports; specif.: Designating a type of two-cycle internal-combustion engine in which the mixture enters the crank case through a port uncovered by the piston near the end of its stroke.

Three-quarter adjective (Paint.) Measuring thirty inches by twenty-five; -- said of portraitures.

Three-quarter length , a portrait showing the figure to the hips only.

Three-score adjective Thrice twenty; sixty.

Three-sided adjective Having three sides, especially three plane sides; as, a three-sided stem, leaf, petiole, peduncle, scape, or pericarp.

Three-square adjective Having a cross section in the form of an equilateral triangle; -- said especially of a kind of file.

Three-torque system of control (Aëronautics) Any system of rudders by which the pilot can exert a turning moment about each of the three rectangular axes of an aëroplane or airship.

Three-valved adjective Consisting of, or having, three valves; opening with three valves; as, a three-valved pericarp.

Three-way adjective Connected with, or serving to connect, three channels or pipes; as, a three-way cock or valve.

Threefold adjective [ Middle English þreofald ; confer Anglo-Saxon þrīfeald .] Consisting of three, or thrice repeated; triple; as, threefold justice.

A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Eccl. iv. 12.

Threepence noun A small silver coin of three times the value of a penny. [ Eng.]

Threepenny adjective Costing or worth three pence; hence, worth but little; poor; mean.

Threne noun [ Latin threnus , Greek .... Confer Drone .] Lamentation; threnody; a dirge. Shak.

The threns . . . of the prophet Jeremiah.

Jer. Taylor.

Threnetic, Threnetical adjective [ Greek .... See Threne .] Pertaining to a threne; sorrowful; mournful.

Threnode noun A threne, or threnody; a dirge; a funeral song.

Threnodist noun One who composes, delivers, or utters, a threnode, or threnody.

Threnody noun [ Greek ...; ... a dirge + ... a song. See Threne , and Ode .] A song of lamentation; a threnode. Sir T. Herbert.

Threpe transitive verb [ See Threap .] To call; to term. [ Obsolete] "Luna silver we threpe ." Chaucer.

Threpsology noun [ Greek ... nourishment + -logy .] (Medicine) The doctrine of nutrition; a treatise on nutrition.

Thresh transitive verb & i. [ imperfect & past participle Threshed ; present participle & verbal noun Threshing .] Same as Thrash .

He would thresh , and thereto dike and delve.

Chaucer.

Thresh-fold noun Threshold. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Thresher noun Same as Thrasher .

Threshold noun [ Middle English threswold , þreshwold , Anglo-Saxon þrescwald , þerscwald , þerscold , þrescold , from þrescan , þerscan , to thresh; akin to Icelandic þreskjöde , þröskuldr , Swedish tröskel , Danish tærskel . See Thrash .]
1. The plank, stone, or piece of timber, which lies under a door, especially of a dwelling house, church, temple, or the like; the doorsill; hence, entrance; gate; door.

2. Fig.: The place or point of entering or beginning, entrance; outset; as, the threshold of life.

Threshwold noun Threshold. [ Obsolete]

Threste transitive verb [ imperfect Threste ; past participle & Threst .] To thrust. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Thretteen adjective Thirteen. [ Obsolete or Scot.]

Thretty adjective Thirty. [ Obsolete or Scot.] Burns.

Threw imperfect of Throw .