quarter

[ kwawr-ter ]

noun

1. one of the four equal or equivalent parts into which anything is or may be divided:

   a quarter of an apple; a quarter of a book.

2. a fourth part, especially of one (¼).
3. one fourth of a U.S. or Canadian dollar, equivalent to 25 cents.
4. a coin of this value.
5. one fourth of an hour:

   He stayed there for an hour and a quarter.

6. the moment marking this period:

   The clock struck the quarter.

7. one fourth of a calendar or fiscal year:

   The bank sends out a statement each quarter.

8. Astronomy.
   1. a fourth of the moon's period or monthly revolution, being that portion of its period or orbital course between a quadrature and a syzygy.
   2. either quadrature of the moon. Compare first quarter, last quarter.
9. (in schools, colleges, and universities) one of the terms or periods into which instruction is organized, generally 10 to 12 weeks in length.
10. Sports. any of the four periods that make up certain games, as football and basketball. Compare half ( def 3 ).
11. one fourth of a pound.
12. one fourth of a mile; two furlongs.
13. one fourth of a yard; 9 inches.
14. a unit of weight: one fourth of a hundredweight. In the U.S. this equals 25 pounds and in Britain 28 pounds.
15. British. a measure of capacity for grain, etc., equal to 8 bushels, or, locally, to approximately this.
16. the region of any of the four principal points of the compass or divisions of the horizon.
17. such a point or division.
18. any point or direction of the compass:

    The wind is blowing in that quarter.

19. a region, district, or place.
20. a particular district of a city or town, especially one generally occupied by a particular group of people:

    the Turkish quarter; an artists' quarter.

21. Usually quarters.
    1. housing accommodations, as a place of residence; lodgings.
    2. Military. the buildings, houses, barracks, or rooms occupied by military personnel or their families.
22. Often quarters. an unspecified part or member of a community, government, etc., that serves as a source of information or authority:

    He received secret information from a high quarter.

23. mercy or indulgence, especially as shown in sparing the life and accepting the surrender of a vanquished enemy:

    to give quarter; to ask for quarter.

24. one of the four parts, each including a leg, of the body or carcass of a quadruped.
25. Veterinary Medicine. the part of a horse's hoof between heel and toe.
26. Shoemaking. the part of a boot or shoe on each side of the foot, from the middle of the back to the vamp.
27. Nautical.
    1. the after part of a ship's side, usually from about the aftermost mast to the stern.
    2. the general horizontal direction 45° from the stern of a ship on either side:

       Another boat is coming near on the port quarter.

    3. one of the stations to which crew members are called for battle, emergencies, or drills.
    4. the part of a yard between the slings and the yardarm.
    5. quarter point.
28. Heraldry.
    1. any of the four equal areas into which an escutcheon may be divided by a vertical and a horizontal line passing through the center.
    2. any of the variously numbered areas into which an escutcheon may be divided for the marshaling of different arms.
    3. any of the arms marshaled on an escutcheon.
    4. a charge occupying one quarter of an escutcheon, especially that in dexter chief. Compare canton ( def 3 ).
29. each half of a cask, consisting of the portion from the bilge to the top chime and the portion from the bilge to the bottom chime.

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into four equal or equivalent parts.
2. to divide into parts fewer or more than four:

   Quarter the pie into six pieces.

3. to cut the body of (a person) into quarters, especially in executing for treason or the like.
4. Machinery. to make holes in, fix, etc., a quarter of a circle apart.
5. to furnish with lodging in a particular place.
6. to impose (soldiers) on persons, towns, etc., to be lodged and fed:

   He quartered his men with the farmer.

7. to assign to a particular place for service, action, etc., as on a battleship.
8. to traverse (the ground) from left to right and right to left while advancing, as dogs in search of game.
9. Heraldry.
   1. to divide (an escutcheon) into four or more parts.
   2. to place or bear quarterly (different coats of arms, etc.) on an escutcheon.
   3. to display (a coat of arms) with one's own on an escutcheon.

verb (used without object)

1. to take up, or be in quarters; lodge:

   to quarter in a cheap hotel.

2. to range to and fro, as dogs in search of game.
3. Nautical. to sail so as to have the wind or sea on the quarter.

adjective

1. being one of four equal or approximately equal parts into which anything is or may be divided.
2. being equal to only about one fourth of the full measure.

quarter

/ ˈkwɔːtə /

noun

1. one of four equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, amount, etc
2. Also calledfourth the fraction equal to one divided by four ( 1 4 )
3. a quarter of a dollar; 25-cent piece
4. a unit of weight equal to a quarter of a hundredweight. 1 US quarter is equal to 25 pounds; 1 Brit quarter is equal to 28 pounds
5. short for quarter-hour
6. a fourth part of a year; three months
7. astronomy
   1. one fourth of the moon's period of revolution around the earth
   2. either of two phases of the moon, first quarter or last quarter when half of the lighted surface is visible from the earth
8. informal.
   a unit of weight equal to a quarter of a pound or 4 ounces
9. a unit of capacity for grain, etc, usually equal to 8 UK bushels
10. sport one of the four periods into which certain games are divided
11. nautical the part of a vessel's side towards the stern, usually aft of the aftermost mast

    the port quarter

12. nautical the general direction along the water in the quadrant between the beam of a vessel and its stern

    the wind was from the port quarter

13. a region or district of a town or city

    the Spanish quarter

14. a region, direction, or point of the compass
15. sometimes plural an unspecified person or group of people

    to get word from the highest quarter

16. mercy or pity, as shown to a defeated opponent (esp in the phrases ask for or give quarter )
17. any of the four limbs, including the adjacent parts, of the carcass of a quadruped or bird

    a hind quarter of beef

18. vet science the side part of the wall of a horse's hoof
19. the part of a shoe or boot covering the heel and joining the vamp
20. heraldry one of four more or less equal quadrants into which a shield may be divided
21. slang.
    military short for quartermaster

verb

1. tr to divide into four equal or nearly equal parts
2. tr to divide into any number of parts
3. tr (esp formerly) to dismember (a human body)

   to be drawn and quartered

4. to billet or be billeted in lodgings, esp (of military personnel) in civilian lodgings
5. intr (of gun dogs or hounds) to range over an area of ground in search of game or the scent of quarry
6. intr nautical (of the wind) to blow onto a vessel's quarter

   the wind began to quarter

7. tr heraldry
   1. to divide (a shield) into four separate bearings with a cross
   2. to place (one set of arms) in diagonally opposite quarters to another

adjective

1. being or consisting of one of four equal parts

   a quarter pound of butter

Other Words From

• quarter·er noun
• half-quarter adjective
• inter·quarter noun
• outquarters noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarter¹

1250–1300; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French quartier < Latin quartārius, equivalent to quart ( us ) fourth + -ārius -ary; (v.) Middle English quarteren, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarter¹

C13: from Old French quartier, from Latin quartārius a fourth part, from quartus fourth

Idioms and Phrases

see at close quarters ; draw and quarter .

Example Sentences

McDonald's suspended sales of the Quarter Pounder burger in October in about a fifth of its US restaurants in response to the outbreak.

From BBC

McDonald's said in a statement that it "identified an alternate supplier" for about 900 restaurants that had "temporarily stopped serving Quarter Pounder burgers with slivered onions".

From BBC

E.coli linked to slivered onions on some McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers in America has caused 104 people to become ill, according to US health officials.

From BBC

In a statement, McDonald's said it had now found an alternative supplier and has started selling Quarter Pounders with onions again at the affected restaurants.

From BBC

"Over the past week, these restaurants resumed the sale of Quarter Pounder burgers with slivered onions," it said.

From BBC

Related Words

• part
• place
• point
• region
• sector