having three units or components or elements; "a ternary operation"; "a treble row of red beads"; "overcrowding made triple sessions necessary"; "triple time has three beats per measure"; "triplex windows"
for or by a group rather than individuals; "dipping each his bread into a communal dish of stew"- Paul Roche; "a communal settlement in which all earnings and food were shared"; "a group effort"
relating to a small administrative district or community; "communal elections in several European countries"
an unstable construction with playing cards; "he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed"
a speculative scheme that depends on unstable factors that the planner cannot control; "his proposal was nothing but a house of cards"; "a real estate bubble"
an obvious change of public opinion or political sentiment that occurs without leadership or overt expression; "there was a ground swell of antiwar sentiment"
set up on the principle of collectivism or ownership and production by the workers involved usually under the supervision of a government; "collective farms"
(law) a formal notice filed with a court or officer to suspend a proceeding until filer is given a hearing; "a caveat filed against the probate of a will"