Definition

1. Noun:
   • Final honors degree examinations at Cambridge University: The "tripos" refers specifically to the set of examinations that undergraduate students at the University of Cambridge must pass to qualify for an honors degree (a Bachelor of Arts). Historically, the name originates from the three-legged stool a student sat on for oral disputations.

Usage

• The word "tripos" is a proper noun when referring to this specific Cambridge institution but is often used in a general sense as a common noun. It is almost exclusively associated with Cambridge University.
• It is typically used with the definite article "the" (e.g., Mathematical Tripos) or preceded by the subject area.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She is preparing for the History Tripos this summer.
  • Achieving a first-class result in the Tripos is a significant academic accomplishment.
  • The structure of the Natural Sciences Tripos is very demanding.

Advanced Usage

• "To sit the tripos": To take the final honors examinations.
  • He will sit the tripos in June.
• "Tripos results": The grades or class (e.g., first-class, upper second) awarded from these exams.
  • Her tripos results were excellent, securing her a place for postgraduate study.

Variants and Related Words

• Tripos list (n): The published class list of students who have passed the examinations, traditionally posted publicly.
  • His name appeared at the top of the tripos list.
• Tripos paper (n): One of the individual examination papers that forms part of the overall Tripos.
  • The final tripos paper was on advanced thermodynamics.

Synonyms

• Honors examinations: (General term) Final exams for an honors degree.
• Final examinations: (General term) The culminating exams of a degree course.

Related Phrases

• "Part I and Part II of the Tripos": Refers to the two main stages of the examinations for some subjects at Cambridge, often taken in different years.
  • She completed Part I of the English Tripos last year and will take Part II next.

Notes

• The term is unique to the University of Cambridge and is not used for degree examinations at other universities, such as Oxford (which uses the term "Schools" for finals).
• It can also refer historically to the undergraduate degree course itself in a specific subject (e.g., "He read for the Mathematics Tripos").

Noun

1. final honors degree examinations at Cambridge University