Tertiary alcohol compounds of formula (1) are novel wherein R¹ and R² are C1-10 alkyl groups which may have halogen substituents, or R¹ and R² may form an aliphatic hydrocarbon ring, Y and Z are a single bond or a divalent C1-10 organic group, and k=0 or 1. Using the tertiary alcohol compounds as a monomer, polymers are obtained. A resist composition comprising the polymer as a base resin is sensitive to high-energy radiation and has excellent sensitivity, resolution, etching resistance and substrate adhesion ##STR1##