the.com/trice
A moment so short it's gone before you finish saying 'trice'.
means An instant or very short period of time, as in 'in a trice'—used to mean something happens almost immediately.
from From Middle English 'trice,' tied to the verb 'trisen,' meaning to pull or tug sharply — the sense being a single quick yank. 'In a trice' originally carried the feel of 'in one pull,' a single swift motion, before it settled into meaning 'in an instant.' It's related to Middle Dutch 'trisen' (to hoist), from the world of ropes and pulleys, not poetry — the speed of the word comes from the speed of a tug, not a metaphor someone dreamed up.
- origin
- from tricen, meaning a single tug or pull
- usage
- survives almost only in 'in a trice'
- age
- has meant instant since the 1400s
- irony
- a word for speed that nobody says quickly anymore