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tierce

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An English unit of liquid capacity equal to one-third of a pipe or approximately 42 gallons; used for wine and provisions.

Detailed Definition
The tierce, from French "tiers" (third), measured one-third pipe (or two barrels) and typically held 42 wine gallons (about 159 liters). Used for wine, provisions, and sometimes dry goods, the tierce represented a manageable size for handling and storage. In poetry concerning wine trade, provisioning, or maritime commerce, tierce provides authentic measurement terminology. The term evokes wine culture, ship provisioning, and commercial transport. Poets employed tierces when treating commercial or maritime contexts, adding specific detail about quantity and storage, particularly in wine-related imagery or descriptions of ships' holds and commercial warehouses.
Example
Example in poetry:
In maritime poetry, "the ship carried thirty tierces of wine in the forward hold"; Historical verse about wine trade might describe "tierces of Madeira bound for colonial ports, luxury measured in thirds of pipes"; Poetry about provisioning describes "tierces easier to handle than full pipes, practical subdivision for ship's storage"; In verse about wine culture, "the merchant sampled from each tierce, quality control measured by taste and weight"; Modern poets writing about wine history might contrast "tierces of port in grandfather's cellar, bottles in mine—scale of consumption diminished"; Poetry about maritime commerce uses "tierces, barrels, hogsheads—vocabulary of casks defining international trade."
Additional Notes
The tierce's measurement (42 gallons = 1/3 pipe) shows fractional thinking in cask sizing. Students should understand that tierce derives from French "tiers" (third), emphasizing its fractional relationship to larger pipe cask. The term appears in wine trade, maritime commerce, and provisioning contexts. Understanding cask hierarchy (rundlet < tierce < barrel < hogshead < puncheon < pipe < tun) helps students grasp graduated commercial scales. In poetry about wine trade, ship provisioning, or maritime commerce, tierces provide authentic intermediate-scale measurement. The tierce's size made it practically useful—larger than household rundlets but smaller than unwieldy pipes or butts. Students should recognize that specific cask terminology adds commercial authenticity and reflects actual trade practices. Related terms include pipe (126 gallons), barrel (31.5 gallons), and hogshead (63 gallons), all wine measures. For students writing about wine culture, maritime trade, or commercial provisioning, tierces ground descriptions in authentic measurement vocabulary. The tierce can represent wine commerce, maritime trade, or the systematic gradation of commercial quantities. The term evokes wine merchants, ship holds, and commercial calculation of appropriate container sizes.
Also Known As
tierce cask third of a pipe
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