a. Now dial. or techn. [f. THREE, after four-square; cf. five-square, six-square.] Having three equal sides; equilaterally triangular. Also fig. threefold, triple.
c. 1440. Jacob’s Well, 119. Þis wose of coueytise is thre sqware. Þe firste sqware is … desyre … to haue … wordly ryches.
1527. Andrew, Brunswyke’s Distyll. Waters, b ij. Ye must haue x or xii fyltes … beyng thresquare, a fote of length.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. vi. 41. Catching up in hast his three square shield And shining helmet.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., I. iv. 10. I intend not to range over all his life as he stands threesquare in relation, Husband, Father, Master.
1683. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., Printing, xiii. ¶ 2. For … Triangular Punches, I commonly reserve my worn out three square Files.
1766. J. Bartram, Jrnl., 9 Feb., in W. Stork, Acc. E. Florida, 63. Grows a good sort of rush to bottom chairs with, or make matts, much better than the common bull-rush or the three-square ones.
1873. Routledge’s Yng. Gentl. Mag., July, 502/1. Take a triangular file, three-square file it is called.
