quartile

[ kwawr-tahyl, -til ]

noun

1. Statistics. (in a frequency distribution) one of the values of a variable that divides the distribution of the variable into four groups having equal frequencies. Compare first quartile, median, third quartile.
2. Astrology. a quartile aspect.

adjective

1. Astrology. of or relating to the aspect of two heavenly bodies when their longitudes differ by 90°.

quartile

/ ˈkwɔːtaɪl /

noun

1. statistics one of three actual or notional values of a variable dividing its distribution into four groups with equal frequencies

adjective

1. statistics denoting or relating to a quartile
2. astrology denoting an aspect of two heavenly bodies when their longitudes differ by 90°
3. a quarter part of a distribution

Word History and Origins

Origin of quartile¹

1500–10; < Medieval Latin quartīlis, equivalent to Latin quart ( us ) fourth + -īlis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of quartile¹

C16: from Medieval Latin quartīlis, from Latin quartus fourth

Example Sentences

The study notes that there “continues to be wide variation in financial performance among hospitals, with the bottom quartile showing a net income margin of -5%, compared to +13% for the top quartile.”

From Los Angeles Times

"I would say Welsh is definitely in the upper quartile in terms of difficulty, so quite hard. At the same time, it's a beautiful language," he said.

From BBC

“It now sits comfortably in the top quartile of the most devastating bombing campaigns ever.”

From Seattle Times

Moving from the worst-performing quartile to the top on employee retention, for example, can save a company as much as $424 million a year in costs related to turnover, the authors estimate.

From Seattle Times

Workers in the bottom pay quartile also saw median "real" income gains of 6% since 2019, more than the rest of the income distribution.

From Reuters