tĕr, adv. num. [Sanscr. tris; Gr. τρίς; cf. tres], three times, thrice.
I Lit.: ter sub armis malim vitam cernere, quam semel modo parere, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 81 Müll. (Trag. v. 297 Vahl.): haec rude misceto ter in die, Cato R. R. 104, 2: ter in anno, Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 9: ter in anno audire nuntium, Cic. Rosc. Am. 46, 132: ter aut quater die perfricari, Cels. 4, 12: is de se ter sortibus consultum dicebat, Caes. B. G. 1, 53: ter aevo functus senex (Nestor), Hor. C. 2, 9, 13; cf.: ter amplus Geryon, tripleheaded , id. ib. 2, 14, 7: pepulisse Ter pede terram, id. ib. 3, 18, 16; 4, 1, 28; id. S. 1, 10, 43: ter consul, Plin. Pan. 80: ter in annum tesseras dare, Suet. Aug. 40 et saep.—With numerals: ter quattuor corpora, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 48, 108 (Ann. v. 96 Vahl.): ter quinquagenos sues habere, Varr. R. R. 2, 4, 22; cf.: terni ter cyathi, Hor. C. 3, 19, 14; and: ter centena epigrammata, Mart. 2, 1, 1: ter centum milibus, Hor. S. 2, 3, 116; so, ter centum (by many written as one word, tercentum), Verg. A. 1, 272; Ov. M. 14, 146: ter denis redeuntibus annis, Verg. A. 8, 47: ter denas vaccas Accipit, Ov. F. 4, 635: ter deno bove, Sil. 15, 259: ter et viciens volneratus est, Plin. 7, 28, 29, § 104.—
II Transf., in gen., for an indefinite number, = often or repeatedly : ter sese attollens cubitoque annixa levavit: Ter revoluta toro est, Verg. A. 4, 690: ter si resurgat murus aëneus, ter pereat meis Excisus Argivis; ter uxor Capta virum puerosque ploret, Hor. C. 3, 3, 65 sq.: Aeneam magnā ter voce vocavit, Verg. A. 10, 873; 1, 116; 3, 421; Hor. C. 2, 17, 26 al.: ter tanto pejor ipsa est, Plaut. Pers. 1, 3, 73: ludos apparat ... stulte bis terque, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 6; so, bis terque, Hor. Epod. 5, 33; id. A. P. 358; 440; Ov. M. 4, 517 al.: bisque terque, Mart. 4, 82, 3: terque quaterque manu pectus percussit, Verg. A. 12, 155; so, terque quaterque, id. G. 2, 399: ter et quater, Hor. C. 1, 31, 13.—
B Esp., with adjj. , to denote a high degree: felices ter et amplius, quos, etc., Hor. C. 1, 13, 17: o ego ter felix, si, etc., thrice happy , thrice fortunate , Ov. M. 8, 51: o terque quaterque beati! Verg. A. 1, 94: o mihi felicem terque quaterque diem, Tib. 3, 3, 26.