tripos

Etymology

Alteration of Latin tripus, as though with a Greek ending. For the examination: the word is supposed to refer to the three-legged stool formerly used at the examinations for these honours, though some derive it from the three brackets formerly printed on the back of the paper.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪpɒs/

Noun

tripos (plural triposes)

1. (obsolete) A three-legged structure; a tripod.
   • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, Oxford: Printed by Iohn Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 216894069; The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd corrected and augmented edition, Oxford: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, 1624, OCLC 54573970, (please specify |partition=1, 2, or 3):
     , New York Review of Books, 2001, p.73:

     Thales sent the golden tripos, which the fishermen found and the oracle commanded to be “given to the wisest”, to Bias, Bias to Solon, etc.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

2. Any of the final examinations for a BA honours degree at Cambridge University.
3. The list of successful candidates in such an examination.

Anagrams

• prosit, ripost