Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Triple.
  • adjective Music Relating to or having the highest part, voice, or range.
  • adjective High-pitched; shrill.
  • noun The highest part, voice, instrument, or range.
  • noun A singer or player that performs this part.
  • noun A high, shrill sound or voice.
  • transitive & intransitive verb To make or become triple.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Threefold; triple.
  • In music, pertaining to the voice or the voice-part called treble or soprano; high in pitch; in harmony, occupying the upper place: as, a treble voice; a treble violin. See II.
  • noun In music: Same as soprano (which see).
  • noun A singer with a soprano or treble voice, or an instrument that takes the upper part in concerted music.
  • noun Also triplex.
  • noun In short whist, a game which counts three points to the winners, their adversaries not having scored.
  • To make thrice as much; make threefold; multiply by three; triple.
  • To utter in a high or treble tone; hence, to whine.
  • To become threefold.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb obsolete Trebly; triply.
  • adjective Threefold; triple.
  • adjective Acute; sharp.
  • adjective Playing or singing the highest part or most acute sounds; playing or singing the treble.
  • noun (Mus.) The highest of the four principal parts in music; the part usually sung by boys or women; soprano.
  • intransitive verb To become threefold.
  • transitive verb To make thrice as much; to make threefold.
  • transitive verb obsolete To utter in a treble key; to whine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Threefold, triple.
  • adjective music Pertaining to the highest singing voice or part in harmonized music; soprano.
  • adjective High in pitch; shrill.
  • noun music The highest singing voice (especially as for a boy) or part in musical composition.
  • noun music A person or instrument having a treble voice or pitch; a boy soprano.
  • noun Any high-pitched or shrill voice or sound.
  • noun A threefold quantity or number; something having three parts or having been tripled.
  • noun darts Any of the narrow areas enclosed by the two central circles on a dartboard, worth three times the usual value of the segment.
  • noun sports Three victories, awards etc.
  • verb transitive To multiply by three; to make into three parts, layers, or thrice the amount.
  • verb intransitive To make a shrill or high-pitched noise.
  • verb intransitive To become multiplied by three or increased threefold.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective three times as great or many
  • verb sing treble
  • adjective having more than one decidedly dissimilar aspects or qualities
  • adjective having three units or components or elements
  • verb increase threefold
  • noun the pitch range of the highest female voice
  • adjective having or denoting a high range

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin triplum, from Latin, neuter of triplus, triple; see triple.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French treble, from Latin triplus.

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Examples

Comments

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  • A duodene of birdnotes chirruped bright treble answer under sensitive hands.

    Joyce, Ulysses, 11

    January 7, 2007

  • so stretched out huge in length the Arch-Fiend lay

    chained on the burning lake, nor ever thence

    had ris'n or heaved his head, but that the will

    & high permission of all-ruling heaven

    left him at large to his own dark designs,

    that with reiterated crimes he might

    heap on himself damnation, while he sought

    evil to others, & enraged might see

    how all malice served but to bring forth

    infinite goodness, grace & mercy shown

    on man seduced, but on himself

    treble confusion, wrath & vengence poured.

    -Milton, paradise lost

    I think here it's being used to mean "threefold"

    June 20, 2008