August 15, 2011
- trio (noun)
- \TREE-oh\

- What does it mean?
- 1 a : a musical composition for three voices or instruments b : the performers of a musical trio2 : a group or set of three
- How do you use it?
- We went to hear a jazz trio last night.
- Are you a word wiz?
What language do you think the word "trio" ultimately comes from?
If you chose C, you're right! Though it took a trip through Italian and French before it landed in English, "trio" originates from the Latin "tri-," which means "three." You probably already know that if you are familiar with geometry and know that a triangle has three angles. ("Triangle" comes from the Latin words that mean "three angles.") English features some words that use either the Latin or Greek numerical root words, but the most common are math terms ("triangle," "polygon") or music terms ("duo," "quintet").

