tervalent: Meaning and Definition of

ter•va•lent

Pronunciation: (tûr-vā'lunt), [key]
— adj. Chem.
  1. trivalent.
  2. possessing three different valences, as cobalt with valences 2, 3, and 4.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.