quarter-hour

[ kwawr-ter-ouuhr, -ou-er ]

noun

1. a period of 15 minutes.
2. a point 15 minutes after or before the hour.

quarter-hour

noun

1. a period of 15 minutes
2. any of the points on the face of a timepiece that mark 15 minutes before or after the hour, and sometimes 30 minutes after

Derived Forms

• ˌquarter-ˈhourly, adverbadjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarter-hour¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

He understands the challenge of keeping viewers hooked from one topic to the next, telling reporters last week that he studies the quarter-hour Nielsen ratings of “First Take” to see what segments work.

From Los Angeles Times

Before the quarter-hour mark, that plan was out the window with Arsenal three goals to the good and Wilder already making changes to his team's shape and personnel.

From BBC

Midway through the corridor, the procession is interrupted by a set of screens that every quarter-hour plays a 3-minute video work showing the movements of dancers wearing the tiled Soundsuits on adjacent walls.

From New York Times

Unlike the “quarter-hour” ratings more commonly used in cable newsrooms, which show how each 15-minute “block” performed, the minute-by-minutes allow producers to scrutinize an audience’s real-time ebb and flow.

From New York Times

After filming a 30-minute “Three Busy Debras” pilot in Los Angeles, produced by Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions for Adult Swim, the decision was made to shorten the series to a quarter-hour.

From Seattle Times