Emily Dickinson Lexicon

THREAT, n. [thret; Sax. threat. See the verb.]

A menace; denunciation of ill; declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, loss or pain on another. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats. Shak.

THREAT, v.t. [thret.]

To threaten, – which see. Threat is used only in poetry. Dryden.

THREAT-EN, v.t. [thret'n; Sax. threatian, from threat. But threat appears to be contracted from threagan, which is written also threawian; D. dreigen; G. drohen; Dan. tretter, to chide, to scold, dispute, wrangle.]

1. To declare the purpose of inflicting punishment, pain or other evil on another, for some sin or offense; to menace. God threatens the finally impenitent with everlasting banishment from his presence.
2. To menace; to terrify or attempt to terrify by menaces; as for extorting money. To send threatening letters is a punishable offense.
3. To charge or enjoin with menace, or with implied rebuke; or to charge strictly. Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in his name. Acts iv.
4. To menace by action; to present the appearance of coming evil; as, rolling billows threaten to overwhelm us.
5. To exhibit the appearance of something evil or unpleasant approaching; as, the clouds threaten us with rain or a storm.

THREAT'EN-ED, pp. [thret'nd.]

Menaced with evil.

THREAT-EN-ER, n. [thret'ner.]

One that threatens. Milton.

THREAT-EN-ING, n. [thret'ning]

The act of menacing; a menace; a denunciation of evil, or declaration of a purpose to inflict evil on a person or country, usually for sins and offenses. The prophets are filled with God's threatenings against the rebellious Jews. Acts iv.

THREAT-EN-ING, ppr. [thret'ning.]

1. Menacing; denouncing evil.
2. adj. Indicating a threat or menace; as, a threatening look.
3. Indicating something impending; as, the weather is threatening; the clouds have a threatening aspect.

THREAT-EN-ING-LY, adv. [thret'ningly.]

With a threat or menace; in a threatening manner. Shak.

THREAT-FUL, a. [thret'ful.]

Full of threats; having a menacing appearance; minacious. Spenser.

THREE, a. [Sax. threo, thri, thry and thrig; Sw. and Dan. tre; G. drei; D. drie; Fr. trois; It. tre; Sp. and L. tres; Gael. and W. tri; Gipsy, tre; Gr. τρεις; Sans. treja, tri. I know not the last radical, nor the primary sense of three. Owen, in his Welsh Dictionary, suggests that it signifies fixed, firm. But see Extricate and Trick. It is probably contracted from thrig.]

1. Two and one. I offer thee three things. 2 Sam. xxiv.
2. It is often used like other adjectives, without the noun to which it refers. Abishai – attained not to the first three. 2 Sam. xxiii.
3. Proverbially, a small number. Away, thou three-inched fool. Shak. [I believe obsolete.]

THREE-CAP'SUL-ED, a.

Tricapsular; having three capsules.

THREE-CELL'ED, a.

Trilocular; having three cells.

THREE-CLEFT', a.

Trifid; being thrice cleft.

THREE'-COR-NER-ED, a. [three and corner.]

1. Having three corners or angles; as, a three-cornered hat.
2. In botany, having three prominent longitudinal angles, as a stem. Martyn.

THREE-EDG'ED, a.

Having three edges.

THREE'-FLOW-ER-ED, a. [three and flower.]

Bearing three flowers together. Martyn.

THREE'FOLD, a. [three and fold.]

Three-double; consisting of three; or thrice repeated; as, threefold justice. Ralegh. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. Eccles. iv.

THREE'-GRAIN-ED, a.

Tricoccous; having three kernels.

THREE'-LEAF-ED, a. [three and leaf.]

Consisting of three distinct leaflets. Martyn.

THREE'-LOB-ED, a. [three and lobe.]

A three-lobed leaf, is one that is divided to the middle into three parts, standing wide from each other and having convex margins. Martyn.

THREE'-NERV-ED, a. [three and nerve.]

A three-nerved leaf, has three distinct vessels or nerves running longitudinally without branching. Martyn.

THREE'-PART-ED, a. [three and parted.]

Tripartite. A three-parted leaf, is divided into three parts down to the base, but not entirely separate. Martyn.

THREE'-PENCE, n. [thrip'enee. three and pence.]

A small silver coin of three times the value of a penny. Shak.

THREE'-PEN-NY, a. [thrip'enny.]

Worth three pence only; mean.

THREE'-PET-AL-ED, a. [three and petal.]

Tripetalous; consisting of three distinct petals; as a corol. Botany.