treble

adj

Etymology: PIE word *tréyes From Middle English treble, from Old French treble, from Latin triplus. Doublet of triple.

1. Pertaining to the highest singing voice or part in harmonized music.

   “He put his cigar in his mouth, and, with his right hand, up in the treble keys, he began to play, in octaves, the melody of a song called "The Kinkajou," which, somewhat notably, had shifted into and ostensibly out of popularity before he was born.”

2. Threefold, triple.

   “A lofty tower, and strong on every side / With treble walls.”

   “Every subscriber of one penny per week, who is sixty years of age, or upwards, and under four-score, to be entitled to receive treble his subscription at the end of the year; that is, his own subscription, and twice as much more.”

adv

Etymology: PIE word *tréyes From Middle English treble, from Old French treble, from Latin triplus. Doublet of triple.

1. Trebly; triply.

   “Whose deserts might buy him treble”

noun

1. Alternative form of tribble (“frame for drying paper”).

verb

Etymology: PIE word *tréyes From Middle English treble, from Old French treble, from Latin triplus. Doublet of triple.

1. To multiply by three; to make into three parts, layers, or thrice the amount.

   “There is increasing evidence that cannabis use can act as a risk factor for the development of bipolar as well as psychotic disorders. A recent systematic review by Gibbs and colleagues identified several studies supporting a link between cannabis use and subsequent relapse of manic symptoms. This review also included a meta-analysis of two large prospective cohort studies, which found that cannabis use almost trebled the risk of new-onset subthreshold manic symptoms after adjusting for potential confounding factors.”

   “German climate minister says speed of carbon cuts needs to be trebled [title]”

2. To become multiplied by three or increased threefold.

   “I am more ſerious then my cuſtome; you Muſt be ſo too, if heed me: which to do Trebbles thee o're.”

3. To make a shrill or high-pitched noise.
4. To utter in a treble key; to whine.

   “He outrageously / (When I accused him) trebled his reply.”