first quarter

American  

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.

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first quarter British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of first quarter

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

The increase in sales also bodes well for gross domestic product in the first quarter.

From MarketWatch

Investors asked to pull the equivalent of 14% of its biggest fund in the first quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Neither the AI-pocalypse nor an energy crisis kept companies from agreeing to buy one another at a record clip during the first quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a period marked by Middle East conflict and surging oil prices, it may come as no surprise that energy stocks were among the biggest winners in a largely forgettable first quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Stock markets bottom at the beginning and not end of wars is the reassuring message that Fundstrat’s Tom Lee sent to investors in a note coinciding with the first quarter’s final trading session.

From MarketWatch