Q

¹

or q

[ kyoo ]

noun

, plural Q's or Qs, q's or qs.

1. the 17th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
2. any spoken sound represented by the letter Q or q, as in quick, acquit, or Iraq.
3. something having the shape of a Q .
4. a written or printed representation of the letter Q or q.
5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter Q or q.

q.

²

abbreviation for

1. farthing.

Q

³

abbreviation for

1. quarterly.
2. Chess. queen ( def 6 ).

q.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. quart; quarts.
2. query.
3. question.
4. quintal.
5. quire.

Q

⁵

Symbol.

1. the 17th in order or in a series.
2. (sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 500. Compare Roman numerals.
3. Biochemistry. glutamine ( def ).
4. Physics. heat ( def 7 ).
5. Thermodynamics. a unit of heat energy, equal to 10 18 British thermal units (1.055 × 10 21 joules).
6. Also called Q-factor. Electronics. the ratio of the reactance to the resistance of an electric circuit or component.
7. Biblical Criticism. the symbol for material common to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that was not derived from the Gospel of Mark.

Q.

⁶

abbreviation for

1. quarto.
2. Quebec.
3. Queen.
4. question.
5. (in Guatemala) quetzal; quetzals.

q

¹

/ kjuː /

noun

1. the 17th letter and 13th consonant of the modern English alphabet
2. a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually a voiceless velar stop, as in unique and quick

q.

²

abbreviation for

1. quart
2. quarter
3. quarterly

q

³

symbol for

1. quintal

Q

⁴

symbol for

1. chess queen
2. question
3. physics heat

abbreviation for

1. text messaging queue

Q.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. quartermaster
2. Alsoq Qqqq quarto
3. Queen
4. question

Word History and Origins

Origin of Q¹

From the Latin word quadrāns

Idioms and Phrases

see mind one's p's and q's .

Example Sentences

The Q&A nearly hit the midnight hour.

From Los Angeles Times

Hegseth has already advocated purging the military of top officials, such as Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Charles Q. Brown — or anyone who has advocated for diversity and inclusion programs.

From Los Angeles Times

If some stars reached a career cruising altitude where they were identified by just one name — Prince, Madonna, Sting — Jones boiled it down to a single letter: Q.

From Los Angeles Times

He appeared on the TV channel on 12 February 2024 as part of a one-hour current affairs special that included a Q&A session.

From BBC

That much was made clear in a recent Q&A event, where Musk complained, "If masculinity is so toxic, how come the kids that are messed up don't have dads?"

From Salon