tertium quid
noun
ter·ti·um quid
ˌtər-shē-əm-ˈkwid
ˌtər-tē-
1
: a middle course or an intermediate component
where there are two systems of law and two orders of courts, there must … be some tertium quid to deal with conflicts of law and jurisdiction—Ernest Baker
2
: a third party of ambiguous status
there was a man and his wife and a tertium quid—Rudyard Kipling
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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