quartile

American  

[kwawr-tahyl, -til] / ˈkwɔr taɪl, -tɪl /

noun

1. Statistics. (in a frequency distribution) one of the values of a variable that divides the distribution of the variable into four groups having equal frequencies.

2. Astrology. a quartile aspect.

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adjective

1. Astrology. of or relating to the aspect of two heavenly bodies when their longitudes differ by 90°.

quartile British  

/ ˈkwɔːtaɪl /

noun

1. statistics one of three actual or notional values of a variable dividing its distribution into four groups with equal frequencies

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adjective

1. statistics denoting or relating to a quartile

2. astrology denoting an aspect of two heavenly bodies when their longitudes differ by 90°

3. a quarter part of a distribution

Etymology

Origin of quartile

1500–10; < Medieval Latin quartīlis, equivalent to Latin quart ( us ) fourth + -īlis -ile

Example Sentences

Notice that the stock market’s average subsequent return in the lowest quartile is higher than for either the second or third quartiles.

From MarketWatch

Parker identified 11 stocks that are on the cheaper side of the U.S. market in terms of forward price-to-earnings multiples, and are trading at multiples in the cheapest quartiles versus their historical averages.

From Barron's

The authors also broke down the results by quartiles within the top 100 stocks.

From Barron's

The pro forma return on assets is 1.33%, in the top quartile of their peer group.

From Barron's

If you are down at that bottom quartile, you haven’t taken advantage of the asset class.

From Barron's