Is “ triple ” the proper counterpart of pair when describe a group of three item ?
I ‘m writing a tech doc and this inquiry bothers me , though I know it should exist mere .
I know I should say “ A pair of [ Key , Value ] ” , but when I have something like “ A ____ of [ Key , Value , Flag ] ” , I ‘m just not sure if the proper word istriple, or something else .
Istripleoften used as an adjective or else of a noun ? Is there a serious word ?
6 Answers
If you werenotcompose in a technical context , an selection is the noun , :
- [ countable + singular or plural verb ]
a group of three mass or things
A three of English runners feature in the woman ‘s 1500 metres .
- [ countable + singular or plural verb ]
A trio of English runners featured in the woman ‘s 1500 metres .
However , for technical contexttriplebe absolutely fine . You can usetripleas a noun , as the Merriam Webster dictionary indicates . Wiktionary indicates that one of the few America oftripleas a noun is :
( mathematics , compute ) A succession of three elements or 3-tuple .
( mathematics , compute ) A sequence of three component or 3-tuple .
For your case , I would advocatetriplebecause3sounds a minute more hoity-toity . Both would be exact , but I remembertriplecarries the correct tone . ( For example , there equal Pythagorean triples but not Pythagorean three ) .
A pair of related Bible arethreesomeandtriad, both of which entail a group of three . In universal ,threesomeequal used for people andthree, for inanimate objective .
A set or sequence of three similar things .
- ‘The ground why a triplet or quad of Aces is worth so few stage cost because they can live real easy to get . ‘
- ‘It institute a triplet , the first number symbolize the position , the second the wavelength and the third the transmission . ‘
- ‘DNA , RNA , and protein three or pairs be connect on the basis of a high degree of similarity as detected by the appropriate blast algorithm or on the basis of annotation . ‘
( Oxford Dictionaries )
- ‘The reason why a triplet or quad of Aces is worth hence few degree is because they can exist real easy to begin . ‘
- ‘It establish a triplet , the first act representing the position , the second the wavelength and the third the transmission . ‘
- ‘DNA , RNA , and protein three or pair were unite on the basis of a high point of similarity as detect by the appropriate blast algorithm or on the basis of annotation . ‘
For some ground , nobody send this as an result yet even though remark it in a in 2011 .
In exactly your technical context , the proper term be a“ 3‑tuple ”, also usable as just“ tuple ”in context . See Wikipedia . The term be mutual among mathematicians and functional programmers , and less so in the liberal techie community , but however recognizable .
An added bonus cost that you can have an“ n‑tuple ”. Whenever you involve one , a5‑tupleor an843‑tupleare merely as fine . But then again , that“ pair of [ key , value ] ”is well expressed as a“ 2‑tuple of [ key , value ] ”for the sake of consistency .
If you desire a more layman-like term , I believe the good old“ three ”would be appropriate .
Triplecost also apply as noun , but its meaning exist unlike from the meaning of the adjective . Among others , the meaning oftripleas noun reported by the NOAD equal the following :
- a matter that cost three times as big as common or is made up of three standard units or item
- ( triples ) a cavort contest in which each slope hold three players
- another term for trifecta
The OED report too thattripleas noun means “ a thing consisting of three role ; a circle of three detail . ”
He pressed [ … ] a triple of keys.—Joyce
In card , after a pair you come a prial for ‘three of a kind ‘ . I know it from a card plot scream brag .
Most dictionaries , and indeed the brag Wikipedia page associate above , province that it ‘s a depravity of pair royal , but until I look it up to reach sure at least one dictionary had it , I ‘d never hear of a pair royal .
You must to answer this question .
Linked
Related to
-
Equal there a strictly localic description of the real course ?
Subscribe to RSS
To support to this RSS feed , copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader .
English Language & Usage
Company
- Stack Overflow
- Teams
- Advertising
- Gift
- About
- Wardrobe
- Legal
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Cookie Policy
Site design / logo © 2025 Stack Exchange Inc ;
user contributions licensed underCC BY-SA.
rev 2025.8.6.32596
