The compound adjective "three-course" is a transparent modern English formation that logically combines a number with a noun denoting a stage. The word "three" has a deep Indo-European heritage, tracing back to the PIE root trei-, which is the source for the number three across many languages. "Course" entered English via French from Latin cursus, a noun derived from currere ("to run"). Its culinary sense of a successive part of a meal developed from the broader meaning of a forward-moving sequence or progression. Thus, the term literally means "having three stages in a sequence," which directly maps to its modern use describing a meal with a starter, main dish, and dessert served in a set order.

Structure: three (number) + course (part of a meal) - three: From Old English þrīe, þrēo, from Proto-Germanic þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European tréyes. Functions as a cardinal number. - course: From Old French cours, from Latin cursus ("a running, race, journey"), from the verb currere ("to run"). In this compound, it functions to mean a part or stage of a meal served in sequence.