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quarter Definition

quar·ter (kwôrt′ər)

noun

  1. any of the four equal parts of something; fourth
  2. one fourth of a hundredweight: 25 pounds in the U.S., 28 pounds in Great Britain
  3. one fourth of a yard, or 9 inches; span
  4. one fourth of a pound
  5. ☆ one fourth of a mile; two furlongs
    1. one fourth of a year; three months
    2. any of the three terms, of about eleven weeks each, which make up an academic year in some schools and colleges
    1. one fourth of an hour; 15 minutes
    2. the moment marking the end of each fourth of an hour
  8. ☆
    1. one fourth of a dollar; 25 cents
    2. a U.S. or Canadian coin equal to 25 cents: the U.S. quarter is made of copper and nickel
  9. any leg of a four-legged animal, with the adjoining parts
    1. any of four main points of the compass
    2. any of the four divisions of the horizon as marked off by these points
    3. any of the regions of the earth thought of as under these divisions
  11. a particular district or section in a city the Latin quarter
  12. lodgings; place of abode
  13. mercy granted to a surrendering foe
  14. a particular person, group, place, etc., esp. one serving as a source or origin news from the highest quarters
  15. the part forming the side of a shoe from the heel to the vamp
  16. Astron.
    1. the period of time in which the moon makes about one fourth of its revolution around the earth
    2. the first or last quarter phase of the moon, when it appears half lighted
  17. ☆ Football, Basketball, etc. any of the four periods into which a game is divided
  18. Heraldry
    1. any of the four equal divisions of a shield
    2. the bearing occupying such a division
  19. Naut.
    1. the after part of a ship's side, between the beam and the stern
    2. a direction at a 45° angle aft of either beam
    3. an assembly of crew members as for muster or at assigned stations for a specific drill or emergency

Etymology: ME quartre < OFr quartier < L quartarius, fourth part < quartus, fourth: see quart

transitive verb

  1. to divide into four equal parts
  2. loosely to separate into any number of parts
  3. to defile (the body of a person put to death) by dismembering it or cutting it into quarters
  4. to provide lodgings for; specif., to assign (soldiers) to lodgings
  5. to cover (an area) by passing back and forth over it in many directions like hounds in hunting; search intensively
  6. Heraldry
    1. to place or bear (different coats of arms) on the quarters of a shield
    2. to add (a coat of arms) to a shield
  7. Mech. to set (a crank, etc.) at right angles to the connecting part

intransitive verb

  1. to be lodged or stationed (at or with)
  2. to range over an area like hounds in hunting
  3. to swim, sail, etc. at an angle because of the wind, current, etc.

adjective

constituting a quarter; equal to a quarter

quarter Idioms

at close quarters

at close range; close together

cry quarter

to beg for mercy

quarter Synonyms

quarter

n.

  1. One of four equal parts

    fourth, one-fourth part, portion, fraction, division, span, three months, 90 days, semester, school term, quarter of an hour, fifteen minutes, quarter section, quadrant; see also part 1.

  2. One quarter of a dollar

    twenty-five cents, coin, two bits*; see money 1.

  3. Direction

    bearing, region, point; see direction 1.

  4. A section of a community

    neighborhood, district, section; see area 2.

  5. Mercy

    clemency, compassion, indulgence; see mercy 1.

at close quarters

at close range, close together, cramped, restricted; see near 1.

quarter Synonyms

quarter

v.

  1. To divide into quarters

    quadrisect, cleave, dismember, cut up; see cut 1, divide 1.

  2. To provide living quarters

    lodge, shelter, assign to lodgings, settle, establish, accommodate, house, put up, billet, station, post.

quarter Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • mile: No worker was now allowed within a quarter of a mile of the Fascist assembly place.
  • century: The Concorde project - a 20th century allegory For a quarter of a century Concorde provided the only regular supersonic travel.
  • respondent: A quarter of respondents said they had watched some of the World Cup on the web.
  • pound: One taxpayer said: " A quarter of a million pounds is a hell of a lot of money.
  • inch: Each is about a quarter of an inch long.
  • electorate: The turnout was 63.74 % which means that only about a quarter of the electorate actually voted for the Conservative candidate.

Possessives

  • servant: In contrast, there are the servant's quarters and huge kitchen, with all the pots and pans on display.

Adjective modifier

  • fourth: In the fourth quarter of 2001, the number of actions entered was just over 17 % less than the fourth quarter of 2000.
  • third: The third quarter of the year often sees reduced traffic delays during the summer holiday period.
  • second: The economy grew by only 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2003.
  • 4th: The company is developing a gold mine at Sekisovskoye, which is scheduled to begin production in the 4th quarter of this year.
  • consecutive: The savings rate fell to negative 0.5 % , the fourth consecutive quarter of negative savings.
  • previous: The group pensions area is strong with schemes written in previous quarters starting to generate new premium income.

Modifies a noun

  • peal: Bands may also wish to have their quarter peal sponsored in order to raise further money.
  • inch: I spent three days listening to the quarter inch master tapes.
  • final: Sunday 19 March 2006 Today - quarter finals day - saw some great matches.
  • mile: The building is within quarter mile of Hackney Central British Rail Station.

Noun used with modifier

  • sleeping: The sleeping quarters were on the upper floor which was reached by ladder.
  • winter: We must wait until after winter quarter day - Christmas Day - the true first day of winter, he said.
  • calendar: Quarterly Accounting The arrangement whereby withholding tax on coupons is paid shortly after the end of the calendar quarter.
quarter Quotes

A Child will make two Dishes at an Entertainment for Friends; and when the Family dines alone, the fore or hind Quarter will makea reasonable Dish; and seasoned with a little Pepper or Salt, will be very good Boiled on the fourth Day, especially in Winter.

—Swift,Jonathan

Inwar, three-quartersturns onmoral considerations; the Narogin balance of actual forces counts only for the remaining quarter.

—Napoleon I