quarto

[ kwawr-toh ]

noun

, plural quar·tos.

1. a book size of about 9½ × 12 inches (24 × 30 centimeters), determined by folding printed sheets twice to form four leaves or eight pages. : 4to, 4°
2. a book of this size.

adjective

1. bound in quarto.

quarto

/ ˈkwɔːtəʊ /

noun

1. a book size resulting from folding a sheet of paper, usually crown or demy, into four leaves or eight pages, each one quarter the size of the sheet Often written4to4°
2. (formerly) a size of cut paper 10 in. by 8 in. (25.4 cm by 20.3 cm)

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarto¹

First recorded in 1580–90; short for New Latin in quartō “in fourth” ( quartō, ablative singular of quartus “fourth”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarto¹

C16: from New Latin phrase in quartō in quarter

Example Sentences

Before then, only 18 had been printed, in small paperback editions known as quartos.

From BBC

During his lifetime, quartos, small hand-held books sold on the street like paperbacks, were published, without his permission or approval, in pirated editions.

From New York Times

Or the notion that McCartney might very well have gleaned the phrase "let it be" from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" — but mercifully, not from the bad quarto, it turns out.

From Salon

However, demand was fully re-established in the decade 1600-1609, and not just for the new more complex commentaries such as that of Clavius, published in fat quartos, but also for cheap octavo editions.

From Literature

While sifting through details of how in the course of history someone passed on an obscure quarto edition to someone else, it is hard not to think that the curse is on the reader.

From New York Times

Related Words

• album
• booklet
• brochure
• copy
• dictionary
• edition
• essay
• fiction
• magazine
• manual
• novel
• pamphlet
• paperback
• publication
• text
• textbook
• tome
• volume
• work
• writing