trice
Trice (noun) means a very short time; a moment. Almost always used in the phrase "in a trice". Example: “He had the wheel changed in a trice.”
How to Use Trice
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA tiny amount of time — "in a trice" means instantly.
Dated and literary. Fine in narrative prose, out of place in technical or business writing.
Learn it only as the phrase "in a trice"; using "trice" alone will sound wrong to native speakers.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He had the wheel changed in a _____.
Etymology
From Middle Dutch trisen, "to hoist", related to trise, a pulley. The noun originally meant a single pull or tug on a rope, and from "at one pull" came the sense of a single instant.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for trice
See all rhymes for trice →Frequently Asked Questions
Is "trice" still used today?
Only inside the fixed phrase "in a trice", which survives in writing and in older or more literary speech. You will almost never hear "trice" used as a standalone noun, and the nautical verb is confined to sailing texts.
What is the difference between "in a trice" and "in a jiffy"?
They mean the same span of time — almost none. "In a jiffy" is casual, chatty and more common in speech; "in a trice" sounds old-fashioned and slightly literary, and turns up mostly in writing.
Does trice have anything to do with three?
No, despite the resemblance to Latin tri-. It comes from a Dutch word meaning to hoist or pull, and the number three plays no part in it.