What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
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Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
If I recall correctly, Shater wrote about a device called a bicorder in his Starfleet Academy novel.
Or better yet....uniclams!
If I recall correctly, Shater wrote about a device called a bicorder in his Starfleet Academy novel.
Or better yet....uniclams!
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
But tri- is not a prefix in those cases, so that's an invalid objection. Tribology is from tribos (Greek for rubbing, friction) plus the suffix -logy. And tribunal is from tribunus, which is in turn from tribus, the Latin word for "tribe." In neither case do the letters tri constitute a prefix of any meaning; rather, they're part of a longer root.
But tri- is not a prefix in those cases, so that's an invalid objection. Tribology is from tribos (Greek for rubbing, friction) plus the suffix -logy. And tribunal is from tribunus, which is in turn from tribus, the Latin word for "tribe." In neither case do the letters tri constitute a prefix of any meaning; rather, they're part of a longer root.
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
I wonder what the "tri" in "tribble" stands for?
I wonder what the "tri" in "tribble" stands for?
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
I think we're so conditioned to hearing the term tricorder that any variation of it--unicorder, bicorder, or even quadcorder, for that matter--just doesn't sound right.
Tricorder probably sounds pretty dorky to people outside of Trekdom...
""Bicorder" sounds sick and wrong, so "Tricorder" it is."
Tricorder sounds sick, wrong, and evil. Goes with the miniskits.
I think we're so conditioned to hearing the term tricorder that any variation of it--unicorder, bicorder, or even quadcorder, for that matter--just doesn't sound right.
Tricorder probably sounds pretty dorky to people outside of Trekdom...
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
The Latin tribus may have something to do with 3 however, since it supposedly referred to any one of the 3 specific divisions (tribes) of the ancient Romans; unless that is just a coincidence or bad research.
This link has several mentions:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tribe
I take internet research with a grain of salt, but it can still be a fun diversion.
The Latin tribus may have something to do with 3 however, since it supposedly referred to any one of the 3 specific divisions (tribes) of the ancient Romans; unless that is just a coincidence or bad research.
This link has several mentions:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tribe
I take internet research with a grain of salt, but it can still be a fun diversion.
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
Wow, thread necromancy...
Why? I rather think it proves my point. Tri need not be a prefix in tricorder, either. Certainly not merely because it looks like one at first glance.
And even if it were, it need not be an "intact" prefix, any more than a camcorder features a cam shaft. That's not a grammatically valid case of prefix grafted to a body, as we of the early 21st century do not know of a device or other object called "corder".
And both halves of the unholy combination could have lost their original meaning aeons ago anyway, making the combination all the more undecipherable: a camcorder is not a device that somehow combines "empty room" and "repeating a phrase to learn it by heart" (although it is a bit closer to those origins than some previous things that have featured the word "record"). One would have to a priori know several centuries' worth of history of technology to understand the obscure use.
If tricorder were something only one step removed from the 1960s gadgetry in function, this would make it all the less plausible as a future technology, regardless of the advanced operating principle or innards. I grant that "hard" science fiction sometimes gains in legitimacy when staying close to contemporary sources, but I also posit it automatically loses in dramatic and imagination-whetting value through such a choice.
(...Which is why I must confess to not particularly liking Buried Age where Picard's contemporaries speak of current cutting edge cosmology as something still relevant in the mid-24th century. Sorry! Our heroes should be sufficiently beyond this level not to discuss it in detail - at most, they could gloss it over like somebody today would gloss over Galilei's or Lavoisier's stumbling research to highlight the very few things they got right. Or "right-for-now", to be accurate.)
Timo Saloniemi
Wow, thread necromancy...
Why? I rather think it proves my point. Tri need not be a prefix in tricorder, either. Certainly not merely because it looks like one at first glance.
And even if it were, it need not be an "intact" prefix, any more than a camcorder features a cam shaft. That's not a grammatically valid case of prefix grafted to a body, as we of the early 21st century do not know of a device or other object called "corder".
And both halves of the unholy combination could have lost their original meaning aeons ago anyway, making the combination all the more undecipherable: a camcorder is not a device that somehow combines "empty room" and "repeating a phrase to learn it by heart" (although it is a bit closer to those origins than some previous things that have featured the word "record"). One would have to a priori know several centuries' worth of history of technology to understand the obscure use.
If tricorder were something only one step removed from the 1960s gadgetry in function, this would make it all the less plausible as a future technology, regardless of the advanced operating principle or innards. I grant that "hard" science fiction sometimes gains in legitimacy when staying close to contemporary sources, but I also posit it automatically loses in dramatic and imagination-whetting value through such a choice.
(...Which is why I must confess to not particularly liking Buried Age where Picard's contemporaries speak of current cutting edge cosmology as something still relevant in the mid-24th century. Sorry! Our heroes should be sufficiently beyond this level not to discuss it in detail - at most, they could gloss it over like somebody today would gloss over Galilei's or Lavoisier's stumbling research to highlight the very few things they got right. Or "right-for-now", to be accurate.)
Timo Saloniemi
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
I dont know if you just made that up, but even so it sounds like the best explanation Ive read so far,(IE: its named after its inventor)
It stands for Tucker Replay Instrument. Named for an obscure engineer who created the technology.
I dont know if you just made that up, but even so it sounds like the best explanation Ive read so far,(IE: its named after its inventor)
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
Who is this Tucker and what was the Federation ship or base that he serve on?
Who is this Tucker and what was the Federation ship or base that he serve on?
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
Oh, PreFederation. It might be hard to figure out those details, so far in the past.
Oh, PreFederation. It might be hard to figure out those details, so far in the past.
Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
TRIcorder was named after Tucker Research Institute which holds a lifetime patent. Once use of his tricorder became widespread Mr. Tucker bought a beach planet, named it Risa, and made another fortune in the time-share business before dying at the ripe old age of 300.
EDIT: Or this could be the beginning of the tricorder right here: http://www.trektoday.com/news/020508_03.shtml
Maybe TRI stands for The Rubinsky Institute?
These days Ron is in hiding, after selling cheesy, fall-apart knives that rust in the dishwasher through his off-shore phony company.
TRIcorder was named after Tucker Research Institute which holds a lifetime patent. Once use of his tricorder became widespread Mr. Tucker bought a beach planet, named it Risa, and made another fortune in the time-share business before dying at the ripe old age of 300.
EDIT: Or this could be the beginning of the tricorder right here: http://www.trektoday.com/news/020508_03.shtml
Maybe TRI stands for The Rubinsky Institute?
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Re: What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
Why would a paramiltary, government organization use a brand name? Are they selling them to teenagers? [/quote]
The extendable baton issued to me is referred to as an 'ASP' - its brand name.
With regard to the name's etymology, take a look at the word the 60s writers probably used as the basis - recorder.
The word record comes from the Latin for 'heart', with the prefix 're-' which means 'back' or 'again'. So clearly the actual meaning of the whole word is not necessarily based solely upon the etymology of its components. If we're going down that route, 'tricord' means 'three hearts'.
Why would a paramiltary, government organization use a brand name? Are they selling them to teenagers? [/quote]
The extendable baton issued to me is referred to as an 'ASP' - its brand name.
With regard to the name's etymology, take a look at the word the 60s writers probably used as the basis - recorder.
The word record comes from the Latin for 'heart', with the prefix 're-' which means 'back' or 'again'. So clearly the actual meaning of the whole word is not necessarily based solely upon the etymology of its components. If we're going down that route, 'tricord' means 'three hearts'.
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