first quarter

noun

, Astronomy.

1. the instant, approximately one week after a new moon, when one half of the moon's disk is illuminated by the sun.

first quarter

noun

1. one of the four principal phases of the moon, occurring between new moon and full moon, when half of the lighted surface is visible from earth Compare last quarter

Word History and Origins

Origin of first quarter¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

They had one crowd-pleasing moment in the first quarter when Harden drilled a three-pointer only for Curry to follow up with a three on the next possession.

From Los Angeles Times

The score was tied 3-3 after the first quarter, but the Cavaliers’ suffocating defense began to take hold in the second quarter as Cleveland scored three times to take a 6-2 lead into halftime.

From Los Angeles Times

After a sluggish first quarter, the Lakers started to do the things the coaching staff has been emphasizing, zooming past the Raptors for a 123-103 win to stay undefeated at Crypto.com Arena.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the course of the first quarter of this century, the American presidency has accumulated ever more power, rendering the office increasingly less constrained by either Congress or the courts.

From Salon

They had led by 12 points in the first quarter, ahead with two minutes to play and a kick-off to come their way.

From BBC