Tertiary

Hi, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, Martha.

Hi, who’s this?

This is Brian.

Hiya, Brian. Where are you calling from?

I’m calling from San Diego.

Ruby.

All right. What’s going on?

Well, my question is about the use of the word tertiary.

Tertiary. T-E-R-T-I-A-R-Y?

Correct.

Okay.

I was at work. We were handing out job assignments, and there’s a girl who works for me who’s from England originally.

And when I put out the top jobs for the day, she asked about something I hadn’t mentioned.

I said, don’t worry about it. It’s a tertiary concern right now.

And she looked at me as if she’d never heard the word before.

She looked it up, and then I guess the textbook definition is that it’s the third in rank or value.

And I guess in my mind, if something is of tertiary concern, it’s kind of a back burner item or off in the periphery.

Like if it’s not primary or even secondary, it’s a tertiary concern.

Am I using that word correctly?

You’re right that it doesn’t jibe with what the dictionaries have to say, but I think that your explanation makes perfect sense.

I think if you’d explained it to her, you explained it, and did she understand it?

Yes, but she was going by the textbook definition, and I was just going by the way I’d always interpreted the word to mean.

I think your context is fine.

I mean, I agree that it usually means third, but it could also mean third rate, right?

Right.

Or something other than primary.

Right.

Because you could definitely use primary figuratively like that and secondary.

Yeah.

So why not use tertiary?

Or what about ancillary?

Oh, I don’t know exactly what that means.

Ancillary is… well, it’s sort of of secondary importance or, you know, ancillary.

It’s a wonderful word.

It comes from the Latin, ankyla, which means a household servant, a feminine servant, a maid.

And it’s sort of the little ones that are running around the house but not the main people.

But you think in the context you were speaking about, Brian, that tertiary would work better?

I think so.

I just wanted to settle the argument, and I guess we were both right.

Don’t you hate when that happens?

Right.

That’s always a disappointing conclusion, though, isn’t it?

You kind of want to be 100% right until they want to, in your face!

Yeah, I think it’s okay this time.

Was she snobby about it?

No, no, she wasn’t.

She genuinely had never heard the word before, but was convinced that I was using it in the wrong context.

Yeah, you’re right. I think you’re fine.

I think you’re both fine.

I think literally it means third, and figuratively it can mean less than important.

Other than important. Not important. Unimportant.

Great. Well, thank you very much.

I love the show, by the way.

Well, thanks.

We loved your question.

Oh, thank you so much.

Thanks.

All right, Brian.

Thanks, Brian.

Take care.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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